Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman, Actor Brian Posehn, Heavy Metal Magazine Team for ‘The Axe’ Comic Series (EXCLUSIVE)

Ethan Shanfeld
·3 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman and actor Brian Posehn (“The Sarah Silverman Program,” “The Big Bang Theory”) have teamed up with Heavy Metal Magazine to create new comic book series “The Axe,” coming in early 2022.

A horror-comedy adventure, “The Axe” follows three nerdy, skatepunk, metalhead teenagers who steal an old, cursed guitar that opens a portal to an interdimensional hell-scape called Sheol. In Sheol, the kids must fight off hideous ancient creatures while trying to get back to Earth. According to the press release, it’s like “Army of Darkness” meets “The Goonies.”

More from Variety

“We put horror and heavy metal music in a blender with likable kids as our protagonists and came up with the perfect combo for a collaboration with Heavy Metal Magazine,” Posehn said.

Added Trohman: “The Axe merges two of my favorite things — horror and comedy — but it has heart. We intentionally wove in themes of broken childhood, abandonment and coming-of-age throughout the book, and I am proud of the dimensions within this story. But on the fun side, what we were able to do with pushing the gore, the jokes, the darkness, it’s just everything I’ve really wanted to do on a wish-fulfillment level. I am really, truly grateful that Heavy Metal wanted to take a swing on this one. I am thrilled to see it come to life on the page.”

“It’s always special when the human lives up to the iconic rock n’ roll persona, and it’s only generational when that person exceeds it,” said Heavy Metal CEO Matthew Medney. “That is Joe Trohman in a nutshell. When he brought The Axe to me, I instantly fell in love. It’s Heavy Metal’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and then some. By bringing Brian Posehn, Scott Koblish, and Diego Fichera into the mix, it brought together an A-triple-plus team to realize this insane concept. And with one of our top editors, Morgan Rosenblum, at the helm, this book is going to ooze Heavy Metal.”

Posehn and Trohman also recruited Scott Koblish (“Deadpool,” “Anthrax: Among the Living”) as illustrator, while Diego Fichera will color “The Axe.”

Heavy Metal Magazine is also currently developing “The Axe” as a screen adaptation as part of a slate of projects based on original IP.

The origins of “The Axe” story were first captured in the episode of the Heavy Metal audio drama podcast, “WonderWerk,” titled “Axe Origins,” which was written and directed by Trohman and featured Posehn as the main narrator, with episode music created by Trohman and Matthew Medney. Trohman also hosts and produces the Heavy Metal podcast “I Hate Myself,” an unscripted series focused on mental health, featuring candid interviews with high-profile actors, writers and industry creatives.

“The Axe” will premiere in Heavy Metal Magazine as a serial in early 2022 and will then be collected into a comic book series and ultimately a trade paperback.

View first look images of the comic series below.

<img class="size-horizontal wp-image-1235050246" src="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/THE-AXE_Page-D.jpg?w=1024&quot; alt="" width="1024" height="1381" srcset="https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/THE-AXE_Page-D.jpg 2475w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/THE-AXE_Page-D.jpg?resize=111,150 111w, https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/THE-AXE_Page-D.jpg?resize=222,300 222w" sizes="(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px" />

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.