Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged:

Bruce Dickinson Mandrake Project Arrives At London Film And Comic Con

Bruce Dickinson's The Mandrake Project arrives at London Film And Comic Con courtesy of Z2 Comics

Rantz Hoseley of Z2 Comics is at London Film And Comic Con today and has brought quite a tome. The first appearance of the first collection of the lead singer of Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson's Mandrake Project in its signed, slipcased and collectable card-and-coin-embedded edition. Take a look…

Z2 Comics will be officially publishing Bruce Dickinson's comic book project The Mandrake Project: Year One, on the 5th of August 2025, collecting the first four issues of his Mandrake Project comic released last year as well as a series of interviews and essays about the creation of the project, as well as an introduction by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, four exclusive foil collectors cards and the cast metal Mandrake Project medallion that featured in the comic and music videos. It also features a homage to William Blake, who inspired the project. And yes, soil from his grave was collected and mixed with ink to print the deluxe editions.

Written by Tony Lee and drawn by Staz Johnson andPiotr Kowalski, The Mandrake Project is being published in twelve episodes, collected into three graphic novels, and is described as "a dark, adult story of power, abuse and a struggle for identity, set against the backdrop of scientific and occult genius." It will tie in with Dickinson's upcoming solo album and Latin American/European tour dates, also known as Bruce Dickinson's The Mandrake Project.

Tony Lee says "Mandrake is my John Constantine but I get to do with with Bruce Dickinson." Rantz Hoseley says "there will be trauma in this world because of this series before we're done."

An eight-page comic prequel entitled Afterglow Of Ragnarok was included within the vinyl 7" single booklet, which accompanied the single of the same name. Bruce Dickinson said, "Finally, we are at the end of the beginning. I honestly have to pinch myself to believe that Volume 1 of The Mandrake Project is upon us. I sometimes get the feeling that I am not fully in control of the story and that some other entity is squeezing the blood out of my subconscious and turning it into ink on the page before my very eyes. We are just getting going. We are all… formed… of the dead."

In May of 2024, Dickinson became a patron of the William Blake Cottage Trust, which owns and preserves William Blake's only surviving house. They state that the Z2 team collected soil from the grave of the legendary English artist and poet, which was mixed into the ink for printing. So Bruce didn't do it himself, then… Tony Lee, was it you? Bruce Dickinson added, "William Blake has given me so much over the years, and I want to repay the debt by helping to restore the Cottage. Despite his impact on the world, there is no centre for Blake, nowhere people can visit to see where he actually lived and worked during a key part of his life. I want to change this."

The oversized 12" x 12" Deluxe Edition with spinning slipcase and the limited, signed platinum edition will only be available directly from Z2 at Z2Comics.com, or at conventions like this one, while a 9" x 9" smaller hardcover edition without slipcase will be available on Amazon in the United States, and at HMV UK (Exclusive HMV Cover + Trading Card), as well as many independent comic and music shops worldwide.

The London Film and Comic Con is held twice a year in London and focuses on films, cult television, gaming, anime, cosplay, and comics; organised by Showmasters Ltd and is currently held at Olympia London near Hammersmith and Earl's Court. It also has a smaller Spring show to kick things off, called the London Comic Con. It all began in 2004 with the same company that organises the Autographica and Collectormania events. The convention holds a large dealers hall selling movie, comic, and science fiction-related memorabilia, and original film props, along with guest talks, professional photoshoots, autograph sessions, cosplay events, and displays.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!