Brooklyn's best-loved hip hop act Flatbush Zombies is teaming up with Rob Markman and J.J. Lopez for 3001: A PREQUEL ODYSSEY.

The press release follows:

Media Release -- Z2 Comics continues to bring the biggest names in music and comics together; rewarding longtime fans, and bringing new readers into the immersive world of four-color fiction. Today, the publisher brings it back to Brooklyn for Flatbush Zombies- 3001: A Prequel Odyssey, an original graphic novel hitting stores just in time for Halloween!

Erick the Architect says "Collecting trading cards and reading comic books was always a way for me to tap into my imagination as a youngin'. Now that I'm an older man, I still have those memories (which I'm grateful for) and will always pose as a means of pulling inspiration when I'm fresh out of them. To be featured in my own graphic novel is a pretty remarkable feat, I'm super proud to be part of it [but] I'm even more proud that we are representing our city!"

Zombie Juice continues "Never thought we would be immortalized with our own graphic novel, and to highlight where we come from. That means everything to me. Special thanks to everyone involved who helped make this a reality. I couldn't be more proud of the art that was created."

Meechy Darko adds "Picture this: Lil Meech in the early early 90s. This was around the time my parents split and just before my pops left the crib to start a new chapter, he gave me his comic book collection. Listen, some of them shits was soooo old I was scared to even touch em'. Mint condition…first issues …fuckin flawless. Pretty impressive looking back at it. A lot of them were given to him by his stepfather before, so there's some history. Then, in the late 1990s, my Uncle Dean leaves to join the army, but before the wars, he dumped a big stack of comics on my bedroom floor, and I still have some of these comics till this day. Knowing that I can now contribute something to the collection, something I was part of crafting...is a wilddd Feeling. Hopefully I can pass 'em down to the next litter."

The official prequel to the Flatbush Zombies' breakthrough debut, 3001: A Prequel Odyssey is only in comics, only from Z2. Erick, Meech, and Juice were just three friends from Flatbush with the power to really move a crowd—until a supernatural crystal changed everything! Now, dark forces are invading the neighborhood to unleash a nightmare entity at Brooklyn's world-famous West Indian Day Parade...and only the Flatbush Zombies stand in their way.

Writer Rob Markman says "Comics and music are my passions and bringing both together with The Zombies is a dream come true. Like Meech, Juice and Erick; I'm from Flatbush, Brooklyn, so the stars couldn't align more perfectly on this story."

Artist J.J. Lopez adds "I'm ecstatic to be a part of this project. I mean, Rob wrote an awesome story. The Flatbush Zombies have such a raw, contagious energy, and I think we're delivering that here. I can't wait for everyone to join us and the Zombies on this epic adventure!"

Written in partnership with the artists, writer Rob Markman (Marvel's Voices; Solo teams with interior artist J.J. Lopez, and a stunning cover by Marvel Comics artist David Nakayama, Flatbush Zombies- 3001: A Prequel Odyssey will be released in comic shops and bookstores in October, with multiple editions available for preorder through Z2 now, including a deluxe and super deluxe edition, featuring limited edition art prints, exclusive vinyl and more!

About Flatbush Zombies:

Brooklyn, New York's Flatbush Zombies channel the best of the '90s East Coast rap era on cinematic tracks full of mind-altering atmospherics and dense lyrical content. Emerging as underground favorites in the early 2010s, they crashed into the Top Ten of the Billboard 200 with their official studio debut, 2016's 3001: A Laced Odyssey. They're also part of the New York supergroup Beast Coast.

The FBZ trio was formed by Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick Arc Elliott in 2010. Meech and Elliott grew up together in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, and hooked up with Juice in high school, freestyling with each other until they decided to lay down official tracks. Their first release, "Thug Waffle," was released in January 2012. Showcasing Meech's gritty growl and Juice's cocky boasts over Elliott's bass-heavy laid-back production, the song and video were a hit and went viral. Later that year, they released their first mixtape, D.R.U.G.S. ("Death and Reincarnation Under God's Supervision"), which featured the ominous "S.C.O.S.A." and up-in-smoke "Face Off (L.S.Darko)."

As their underground presence expanded, they made a number of guest appearances, like on A$AP Mob's "Bath Salt" and the Underachievers' "No Religion." Along with the Underachievers and Joey Bada$$'s Pro Era crew, FBZ formed the Beast Coast collective and toured across the United States in early 2013; they would return at the end of the decade with their debut LP. Later that September, the trio dropped their second mixtape, the drugged-out epic Better Off Dead, which included verses by Action Bronson and Danny Brown. Continuing their Beast Coast relationship, FBZ and the Underachievers released a collaborative EP, Clockwork Indigo, in 2014.

By 2016, Meech, Juice, and Erick completed work on their official debut LP, 3001: A Laced Odyssey, which was released in March 2016. The highly anticipated set was received warmly across Europe, Australasia, and in the U.S., where it hit number ten on the Billboard 200. Two years later, they returned with their critically acclaimed sophomore full-length, Vacation in Hell, which peaked at number nine on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In 2019, the Beast Coast project issued their debut effort, Escape from New York, which was produced in part by Elliott. The set became a Top 30 hit in the U.S. The Zombies returned to their own material in 2020 with the short EP Now, More Than Ever.

About Z2 Comics:
Z2 Comics is the premier destination for official music-related graphic novels, created in partnership with top-tier artists, musicians, directors and pop-culture icons. Distributed globally via Simon & Schuster, Z2 has collaborated with such diverse artists as Blondie, Elvis Presley, Gorillaz, Machine Gun Kelly, Sublime, Yungblud, Cypress Hill, Babymetal, Major Lazer, Rico Nasty and Paul Oakenfold as well as debut comic works by Grammy-nominated artists Sturgill Simpson, Poppy and Anthrax. Additionally, the company has tapped top talent for the official graphic biographies of such pop-culture legends as The Grateful Dead, Beethoven and Charlie "Bird" Parker. In 2021, Z2 will publish graphic novel tie-ins to essential albums by The Doors, Ronnie James Dio, All Time Low with many more to be announced in the coming months.