The Genius Of DEVIN TOWNSEND Meets The World Of Sci-Fi In New 'Ziltoid The Omniscient' Comic Series

From the mind of Devin Townsend, one of the most colorful and prolific heavy metal musicians, comes the bizarre and whimsical Ziltoid The Omniscient.

Known for his high-concept albums and experimental approach, Townsend brings his unique sensibilities to the comics medium with the launch of this new tie-in series from Incendium and Opus Comics.

Brought to life in conjunction with animation writer and New Yorker cartoonist Lars Kenseth, and renowned comics artist Andy Kuhn ("Firebreather", "Marvel Team-Up", "The Flash"),the new series introduces readers to the world of Ziltoid The Omniscient and expands on the foundations Townsend laid with his 2007 rock opera album of the same name.

Townsend says: "I'm thrilled to see the Ziltoid universe continue to take shape with this new comic book series, detailing his origin story and shedding light of the enigma that is Ziltoid The Omniscient. Actualizing ideas with commercial quality while avoiding commercial tropes is the whole idea, so to work with this talented group of individuals to bring these visions to light in a beautiful comic book series way is very exciting. Ziltoid exists! He's awkward and nerdy, and he may just hold the key to what makes up the universe's ultimate cup of coffee! Enjoy, there's much more to come."

In the first issue, which hits comic stores in April and is available to pre-order direct from Incendium in a limited and numbered edition, readers are introduced to the Ziltoidian tasked with keeping the coffee flowing — or else! Or else, what?! Or else, space-time collapses! And coffee can only be found in only one place in the universe — Earth, of course!

"Bringing heavy music mascots into comics is a core part of our DNA," says Incendium and Opus Comics founder Llexi Leon, "and Ziltoid The Omniscient is a perfect fit with its unique tone and wonderfully bizarre universe.

"Ziltoid's story is a thrilling sci-fi rock opera, filled with comedy and heart, that will jump off the page and surprise fans and newcomers alike. Devin's recorded work on the Ziltoid albums is hugely original and wildly entertaining, so it's a joy to explore his coffee-fueled galaxy further."

"Ziltoid The Ominscient" #1 unfolds over 30 mind-bending story pages and is solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors' February Previews catalogue for April release at Opus Comics' signature $6.66 price point. There will also be a special limited-edition version of the book for hardcore Townsend fans, which can be found at incendium.online.

Townsend is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer with 28 albums to his name. In 2007 he released his second true solo album, "Ziltoid The Omniscient", a rock opera/concept album about an extraterrestrial being named Ziltoid from the planet Ziltoidia 9. Ziltoid travels to Earth in search of "your universe's ultimate cup of coffee". A cup of coffee is delivered to him and he is promptly appalled by its taste, declaring it "fetid", and summons the Ziltoidian warlords to attack Earth, facing the full might of Earth's army. Ziltoid has inspired many forms of merchandise, including a follow-up album dubbed "Z2" in 2014, a one-off extra special show at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2015, and many other cool ventures such as this comic book series.

Photo credit: Paul Harries