The Weeknd Will Fight A Cannibal In His First Marvel Comic
March 21, 2018
In the world of Abel Tesfaye, you either die a hero or live long enough to fight cannibals in Marvel comics. Last year, The Weeknd announced he was partnering with the House of Ideas to release a comic book based on his 2016 album, Starboy.
Thankfully, fans finally have an idea of what that story will entail, thanks to new details released by Marvel, and it is insane. The plot includes a city named Alphatron and a man-eating crime lord, which seems right up The Weeknd's alley.
The city of Alphatron is in the grip of a crime wave, as the terrifying Jack “The Chef” Smiley has unified all criminal organizations with his ruthlessness and strategic genius. Not content with brutally murdering his victims, Smiley also feasts upon their flesh. The citizens live in fear and the police have been directly targeted. The city is in dire need of a hero. It will not get one… …but it will get what it deserves. STARBOY.
In a 2016 interview with Billboard, The Weeknd described how he created Starboy and the album's influences.
"I like to look at it like a film," Tesfaye said. "For every director, every film is different, with different actors, different emotions, different plots. The other albums always had a theme. On this album, every song has a theme, is kind of its own cinematic piece. The vibe on 'Starboy' comes from that hip-hop culture of braggadocio, from Wu-Tang and 50 Cent, the kind of music I listened to as a kid."
The Weeknd Presents: Starboy – Vol. I – Issue 1 is written by The Weeknd, La Mar Taylor, and Christos Gage and illustrated by Eric Nguyen and Guru-eFX. It will arrive in June. Check out the rest of Marvel's June solicitations here.