Cindy Ord/Getty Images – Steve Aoki visits the SiriusXM Studios on May 23, 2018 in New York City.
The producer & DJ will bring the project to New York Comic Con next week.
Grammy-nominated producer and DJ Steve Aoki is making his future bigger. Ahead of the release of his upcoming album Neon Future III, Aoki is teaming with Impact Theory and writer Jim Krueger to create a comic book based on the concept behind the album series.
The Hollywood Reporter has the exclusive reveal of the trailer for the project.
The series, which will debut at New York Comic Con next week, is developed from the ideas behind Aoki’s Neon Future I and Neon Future II, released in 2014 and 2015, respectively, as well as the soon-to-be-released third installment, which will feature appearances from Nicki Minaj and Blink-182. Aoki and Impact Theory founder Tom Bilyeu are working with Krueger (Marvel’s Earth X, DC’s Justice) to expand and adapt the musical world into its comic book incarnation.
“My obsession with mixing science and tech all started when I was a kid reading comic books. It took me on a ride to see how far the imagination can go, seeing ideas crossing the threshold from science fiction to fact,” Aoki explained. “That’s the foundation of Neon Future, where we’re headed as we evolve, our downfalls, our victories and breakthroughs to find a way to survive and thrive through it all.”
Set three decades in the future, Neon Future imagines a United States where advanced technology has been outlawed, fueling a conflict between the Authentic — an upper echelon who have removed themselves from technology — and the Augmented, an oppressed group that have voluntarily turned themselves into hybrids of man and machine. In the midst of this, a resistance group calling itself “Neon Future” emerges, offering a potential solution to the crisis.
“I’m so excited to be part of Neon Future,” said Krueger in a statement about the project. “It has all the elements of a dynamic story, with compelling characters who evolve into true heroes by overcoming suffering. Working closely with Steve Aoki’s extraordinary imagination, our team has built something really special.”
The first issue of the series will be released Oct. 4 and available at the Impact Theory table at NYCC (#236); covers for the issue come from Jeremy Repack and Kim Jung Gi. For those not attending the show, the comic is available to preorder online. In addition to the comic book’s debut, Aoki will appear at the “From the Stage to the Page: Musicians Creating Comic Books” panel Friday, Oct. 5, at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1A24.
New York Comic Con runs Oct. 4-7 at the Javits Center.
