Posted in: Comics | Tagged: greg capullo, Jon Schaffer, kickstarter, todd mcfarlane

Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo in Jon Schaffer's Wicked Words Epic Tales

Published Wed, 17 Jun 2020 08:00:06 -0500

Jon Schaffer is an American heavy metal musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and last remaining original member of the Florida-based heavy metal band Iced Earth, which he formed in 1985 under the name "Purgatory". He also sings in his side project Sons of Liberty and plays guitar for Demons and Wizards, his collaboration with Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch. He has now announced the release of his first-ever book, Wicked Words and Epic Tales. The book is the debut release from Schaffer and his new publishing company Wicked Words, LLC and is the first of many projects planned for future release by Schaffer.

Wicked Words and Epic Tales is a collection of lyrics, interviews and pages of artwork that Schaffer's work has inspired throughout the years. The book is an anthology of lyrics from Schaffer that span his 35 years in making music in various projects including Iced Earth, Demons & Wizards, Sons of Liberty and Purgatory. The book comes in 2 covers: one created by Jonboy Meyers and another by Jim Balent and Roy Young and is over 200 pages. The coffee table art book also features original drawings from artists including Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo and Monte Moore. The book also features an audio CD of 15 tracks that is exclusively available with the purchase of the deluxe edition book. Dubbed "A Narrative Soundscape" by Schaffer, these recordings are a re-imagined delivery of the lyrics of Iced Earth songs created exclusively for this release. Longtime collaborator Jim Morris worked with Jon Schaffer of these versions. Fans can pre-order Wicked Words and Epic Tales through Kickstarter.

Artists that have contributed pieces for Wicked Words and Epic Tales include:

Jim Balent
Jonboy Meyers
Roy Young
David Newman-Stump
Todd McFarlane
Greg Capullo
Tim Vigil
Monte Moore
Danny Miki
Sun Khamunaki
John Gallagher
Emile Levaique
Richard Ortiz
John Giang
Felipe Machado
Jamie Tyndall
Dylan Andrews
Lucio Parrillo
Travis Smith
Nathan Perry
Leo Hao
Eliran Kantor
Axel Hermann

"I wanted to put something together that would be a truly unique experience not only for the fans of my bands, but for newcomers as well," explains Jon Schaffer. The track-listing for Wicked Words and Epic Tales is: