For any Bill & Ted fans who think it’s bogus the franchise has come to a close, we have some excellent news. New comic books are on the way featuring everyone’s favourite time-travelling rock stars, and this time they’re going back to hell.
io9 is excited to announce that Opus Publishing, the publishing arm of Incendium, will debut Bill & Ted Roll the Dice #1 on June 14. Set after the events of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, the story follows the Wyld Stallyns as they’re sent back to hell, this time by Satan himself. There, they’ll have to play a fantasy RPG (think Dungeons and Dragons, Bill and Ted-style) to save the band and their souls. Along they way they’ll run into their old pal Joan of Arc, occultust Aleister Crowley, and many others including, we kid you not, Doctor Feelgood. Mötley Crüe air guitar!
The story is written by James Asmus (Quantum and Woody) with art by Wayne Nichols (Orphan Black), and each issue will also have a sub-origin story of Chuck De Nomolos, the villain in Bogus Journey, which features fan-favourite character Rufus in a leading role. That section is written by John Barber (Back to the Future) with art by Andrew Currie (Doctor Who). And now, here’s the cover reveal of issue one; it’s by by Lukas Ketner (Witch Doctor) and is making its exclusive debut on Gizmodo.
Seeing as how the company behind this, Incendium, had already made some most excellent Bill & Ted toys and apparel, Denton Tipton, Executive Editor of its publishing brand Opus, told Gizmodo via email that comics were the natural next step. As for the subject matter, that came from Tipton’s past.
“For the first storyline, we wanted something that hadn’t been done in the comics before, that was a fit for the era yet still relevant today, and that had — as with all things Opus — a strong musical connection,” he said, “During those years, I spent many hours playing tabletop RPGs, and D&D has never been more popular than today. The ‘80s also spawned the Satanic Panic, when parents and religious groups railed against those games, and heavy metal music, of course.”
Tipton pitched the idea up the chain of command, was given a green light, and broke out another ‘80s relic. “For the creative team, I pulled out the Rolodex and looked up the funniest writers I knew,” he said. “Once they all turned me down, James and John were ready to answer the call of adventure!”
Since fans have seen what happens to Bill and Ted after this time period, Tipton made sure the story took place in a time that didn’t betray any of that — and there was one big driving force in particular. “This happens during the 16 months following Bogus Journey where Future Bill and Ted said they got awesome from practice,” he said. “That’s all the reader basically needs to know.”
Actually, there is one more thing you need to know: this four-part miniseries is just the beginning. “We have plans to have a new Bill & Ted comic in stores each month, including a couple of one-shots as we gear up for the next miniseries,” Tipton said.
For more on that, as well as Bill & Ted Roll the Dice #1 (which is, once again, out June 14), visit the official Incendium site.