Motley Crue Get Heroic in ‘The Dirt: Declassified’ Graphic Novel
After 40 years of masquerading as chart-topping, arena-packing rock stars, Motley Crue are ready to answer their true calling: government agents on a covert mission to save the world.
The "World's Most Notorious Rock Band" will reveal its true identity in Motley Crue's The Dirt: Declassified, a new graphic novel made in collaboration with publisher Z2 Comics. The new book will build on Motley Crue's original 2001 The Dirt memoir and its 2019 Netflix adaptation, featuring interior art from John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad, Grendel) and J.M. Beroy (Deadman, Star Trek), dossier art from Armitano (Batman Eternal) and cover art from Dan Panosian (Canary, Slots).
"Playing arenas overflowing with tens of thousands of fans was just a front for our true mission," bassist Nikki Sixx said in a statement. "The reality is that we were infiltrating [REDACTED] in a globe-hopping sprint to [REDACTED]. But that doesn’t even include the disaster at [REDACTED] or near fatal heist in [REDACTED]. We have a lot to say and it's time the people knew."
Z2 senior editor Rantz Hoseley added: "Motley Crue remains the one group whose live show in the '80s felt truly dangerous. Now that I know the truth about the band, it’s obvious why. We're proud to have gained the trust of these live wires to tell the secrets they've been forced to cover up for decades. … We guarantee you aren't ready for the madness and mayhem in this graphic novel."
Preview pictures from Motley Crue's The Dirt: Declassified show the band standing triumphantly atop the Berlin Wall, wading through the Tiananmen Square protests and commandeering a tank through the streets of Panama. There's also a nod to the Moscow Music Peace Festival, which Motley Crue played in 1989.
You can see these photos and more below.
Motley Crue are set to embark on their twice-postponed Stadium Tour with Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett in June 2022. Sixx has kept busy in the meantime, having just released a new memoir titled The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx and the Sixx:A.M. Hits compilation.
Motley Crue's The Dirt: Declassified will debut exclusively on Z2's webstore in April 2022 and is available for preorder now. It will be available in softcover, hardcover and a variety of bundles including a lockbox slipcase, UV spy pen, exclusive dossier art prints and Motley Crue security clearance badges.