Z2 Comics and Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider are teaming up to bring Snider's trip to Congress to the world of comics.
Z2 is a comic publisher that best known for its graphic novels that team up comic creators with musicians. They have recently published comics based on Czarface, Sublime, and Gwar. In their newly announced graphic novel, Z2 will retell Dee Snider's time fighting censorship at the United States Congress in 1985.
For those who don't know, back in the 1980s, many politicians (most notably Tipper Gore) and parental groups came together to form the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). This group was ultimately responsible for the "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" label that was put on albums that featured curse words, violent language, and promoted drug use. That is when the infamous Dee Snider moment occurs. Dee entered the halls of Congress and gave a speech that has lived on through the ages defending music and art from government censorship.
"When I look back on that historic day, I think, ‘How did I fit balls that big into those skin-tight jeans!?’” Snider recounts. “Then I reflect on the fact that I still stand for everything I stood for all those years ago...and I'm ready to do battle again."
"Unless you grew up during the PMRC hearings, I don’t think you can really understand what a massive impact it had as teenagers watched Dee testify before Congress about the importance of freedom of speech,” editor Rantz Hoseley explains. “Metal and rock preached rebellion and fighting back in the song lyrics, but here was the only frontman who was walking the walk. In a world where you thought that adults said one thing and did another, it was the moment where you could believe… Yes, there are people out there who will fight for what is right, against all odds, no matter what the cost. It’s a story that is more vital today than ever.”
This new graphic novel is called He's Not Gonna Take It, and will be written by Dee Snider alongside Frank Marraffino, with art by Steve Kurth. The graphic novel is available now in both soft and hardcover editions, with many extras for those that grab it through Z2's website.
Chris Rundt @FortressChris