Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson announces graphic novel made with soil from William Blake’s grave

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has announced a new graphic novel printed with soil from William Blake’s grave.

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Alongside Z2 Comics, the singer has now unveiled The Mandrake Project: Year One, a graphic novel that compiles the first four issues of his Mandrake Project comic book series, which were first released last year alongside his solo album of the same name.

As well as featuring the four issues, the new deluxe edition will include a series of interviews and essays that chronicle Dickinson and his creative team’s journey to making the project, as well as an introduction by Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter and four “exclusive foil collectors cards” and the “cast metal Mandrake Project medallion” that featured in the comic and music videos, per a press release.

It will also feature a homage to the legendary English poet and artist William Blake, who inspired the project. Soil from his grave was collected and mixed with ink to print the deluxe editions.

“William Blake has given me so much over the years and I want to repay the debt by helping to restore the Cottage,” explained Dickinson, who became a member of the William Blake Cottage Trust, which oversees his only surviving house, in 2024. “Despite his impact on the world, there is no center for Blake, nowhere people can visit to see where he actually lived and worked during a key part of his life. I want to change this.”

The Mandrake Project: Year One will be released on August 5 and is available to pre-order here.

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In other Iron Maiden news, the British heavy metal legends are heading out on the road in 2025 with their ‘Run For Your Lives’ tour of the UK and Europe. The tour marks their 50th anniversary as a band and will see them playing setlist made up exclusively of songs from their first nine studio albums.

Dickinson has said the band will be “doing stuff we’ve never, ever done before” on the Run For Your Lives tour. “So for those of you who have bought tickets, which is like all of you, it’s gonna be really, really cool. I’m really looking forward to it,” he said.

Meanwhile, earlier this month they announced a new documentary film to mark the 50th anniversary, which will include the final interview with their former frontman Paul Di’Anno, who died last year at the age of 66.

An official title and release date have not yet been shared, although it is predicted to arrive in the autumn. Malcolm Venville (Churchill At War) has been named as director, and production has come from Dominic Freeman (Spirits In The Forest – A Depeche Mode Film).

They will also be releasing a new visual book, titled Infinite Dreams, in the autumn. It will be packed with images of iconic album and single artworks, the band’s instruments past and present, stage props, hand-written lyrics and archival artefacts. There will also be photographs taken of the band, including some that were previously unseen.

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