Queen frontman Freddie Mercury's life to be turned into a graphic novel

'Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs', set to be released in November, will be told in the late rocker's own words, starting with his childhood in Zanzibar

A graphic novel called 'Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs' will be released in November. AP
Powered by automated translation

A new graphic novel will tell the life story of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in his own words, from his childhood in Zanzibar to becoming one of the most famous rock stars in the world.

Z2 Comics has joined forces with Universal Music Group and Mercury Songs Ltd for Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs, which it described as "the first-ever graphic novel paying tribute to one of the greatest figures the music world has ever known".

The book, released in November, will look back on Mercury's life on and off stage.

"The story is told in his own words, with each chapter giving a glimpse into the many facets of his life," Z2 Comics said in a statement.

Bohemian Rhapsody, a 2018 film based on Mercury's life, won four Oscars at the 91st Academy Awards, including a historic Best Actor for Rami Malek, who portrayed the singer. The film was a critical and commercial success, documenting the formation of Queen until their record-breaking Live Aid concert in 1985.

In 2019, Rudi Dolezal, who crafted Queen's music video for These Are the Days of Our Lives in 1991, said the remaining members of the band were discussing a follow-up to Bohemian Rhapsody.

"I'm sure [Queen's manager Jim Beach] plans a sequel that starts with Live Aid," he told Page Six, adding that a secondary film is "being heavily discussed in the Queen family".

Queen's lead guitarist Brian May told NME in April the band have been in the studio working on new music. The band's remaining original members, May and Roger Taylor, have been performing live with singer Adam Lambert for more than a decade, but have never recorded any new material with him.

Mercury died from Aids-related pneumonia in 1991. Queen were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, a decade after his death.

Fans can pre-order the graphic novel from Z2 Comics' website.