Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas is joining co-writer Ryan J. Downey and Artists Giorgia Sposito and Nino Cammarata for INKED IN BLOOD II: ONCE UPON A CRIME.

Preorder: https://z2comics.com/products/ink2
Ice Nine Kills—Inked in Blood II: Once Upon a Crime Standard Cover Art by Mike Cortada.

The press release follows:

Media Release -- Z2 is proud to announce Ice Nine Kills—Inked in Blood II: Once Upon A Crime, the sequel to last year's slasher thriller. This new volume blends the real-world journey of the famed theatrical metal pioneers with a claustrophobic, adrenaline-doused dose of serial-killer slayings. Due in Fall 2023, the direct sequel unites Ice Nine Kills architect Spencer Charnas with co-writer Ryan J. Downey and artists Nino Cammarata and Giorgia Sposito. Mike Cortada, who's responsible for the evocative album artwork behind Ice Nine Kills' most recent albums The Silver Scream and Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2, returns to illustrate the cover art. 

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Ice Nine Kills—Inked in Blood II escalates the tension from the first volume, introducing Max Charnas—the identical twin brother of INK mastermind Spencer Charnas—who hatches a plan to blackmail, frame, and destroy his sibling. The new volume ignites at The Silver Scream Con, the real-world Massachusetts gathering that debuted last August, where the blood and power chords continue to fly. The resulting thrill ride packs more crunch and hooks than an Ice Nine Kills breakdown, with serial killers and doppelgängers cleaving a bloody path from panel to panel. 

"I'm bloody honored that Spencer asked me to take a stab at telling this story with him," writer Ryan J. Downey explains. "He's one of my favorite people, even if I half expect to find him lurking outside my window some rainy night." 

Ice Nine Kills has honed its sound over the course of two decades plus, evolving into a serrated metal and hardcore beast that's netted opening slots for industry icons including Metallica and Slipknot. The group's last two albums—2018's The Silver Scream and last year's Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2—both embraced Charnas' adoration of '80s and '90s celluloid terror, each song paying homage to a hallmark horror movie with an accompanying video. The videos often star actors and props from the inspiring films.  

"We're stoked to be teaming up again with Spencer and Ice Nine Kills," editor Camilla Zhang continues. "Nobody does heavy riffs and brutal twists better, and Inked in Blood 2 begs for even more carnage."

Z2 and Ice Nine Kills present Inked In Blood II: Once Upon a Crime in standard hardcover and deluxe hardcover editions, set to release Fall 2023. The deluxe hardcover will come with a print triptych by Phillip Sevy art prints and two-sided Spencer Charnas collector's coin. Oversized platinum editions will come signed by Spencer Charnas with an elegant slipcase, the triptych art prints, the double-sided collector's coin, and the Ice Nine Kills double LP of Welcome to Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2 in an exclusive purple splatter vinyl variant. 

Preorder now at https://z2comics.com/products/ink2

About Ice Nine Kills:

Like the undead slashers celebrated in their songs, ICE NINE KILLS return with The Silver Scream 2: Welcome to Horrorwood, a sequel of gruesome movie-sized proportion to their No. 1 Billboard Hard Rock Album, The Silver Scream. Welcome to Horrorwood carves out a fresh, bloody homage to the VHS celluloid classics that possessed singer Spencer Charnas at an early age, with a devilish new twist.

ICE NINE KILLS make music both timeless and timely, mixing metal, hardcore, and punk, with accessible power. New hard-rock-and-horror anthems like "Hip to be Scared," "Assault & Batteries," "Take Your Pick," and "Farewell II Flesh" demonstrate Spencer's fascination with fright, pop culture obsession, and his expertise with inescapably wicked melodic hooks and clever twists of phrase.

Drew Fulk (A Day To Remember, As I Lay Dying, Emmure) produced The Silver Scream and returned for Welcome to Horrorwood. Album guests include Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), Brandon Saller (Atreyu), Ryan Kirby (Fit For A King), and Buddy Nielsen (Senses Fail). The album mixes the melodies, riffs, and wit that are the band's signature, as heard in the Top 10 Mainstream Rock single "A Grave Mistake" and Top 20 hit "Savages."

Dan Sugarman (guitar/vocals), Ricky Armellino (guitar/vocals), Patrick Galante (drums), and Joe Occhuiti (bass/vocals) are the current co-conspirators behind Charnas, who founded the band as a teen in the early 2000s. Decadent, devious, and fiercely insane, ICE NINE KILLS celebrate pop culture's darkest edges, mining a cinephile library's worth of iconic horror on The Silver Scream and The Silver Scream 2. The creative marriage made in hell of music and fiction began in earnest with the Top 5 Hard Rock album, Every Trick in the Book, which brought the previous three records' themes to new levels.

Loudwire hails ICE NINE KILLS as "one of the most unique acts in metal right now." The band's synergy of music and lifestyle draws favorable comparisons to Slipknot and Rob Zombie. Visionary trailblazers and multimedia raconteurs, INK built a thrilling world for a growing legion of devoted true believers, with theatrical shows, high-concept videos, and inventive band-to-fan communion.

About Z2 Comics: 

Recently dubbed the "Hottest brand in music" by Forbes, Z2 Comics has quickly become the premier destination for authentic graphic novels and collectibles, created in partnership with top-tier artists, musicians and pop-culture icons. Distributed globally via Simon & Schuster, Z2 has produced 50-plus unique graphic novel properties, collaborating with Gorillaz , Blondie, Elvis Presley, Balmain, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Jason Derulo, The Grateful Dead, Machine Gun Kelly, Sublime, Beethoven, RZA, Mötley Crüe, Vince Staples, Cheech & Chong, The Doors, Anthrax, Public Enemy, Ronnie James Dio, King Diamond, All Time Low, Ivan Moody, Yungblud, Cypress Hill, Babymetal, Major Lazer, RZA, Alter Bridge, Sturgill Simpson, Poppy, John Lee Hooker, and Charlie "Bird" Parker. Learn more at Z2comics.com, and follow us on Instagram (@z2comics) and Twitter (@z2comics).