Oni Press is paying homage to Ol' Dirty Bastard of legendary hip-hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan by crowdfunding a new graphic novel titled ODB: Oddities, Discord, & B-Sides - Lyrical Ruckus in the City. Described as a "taunt and turbulent graphic novel," Lyrical Ruckus in the City presents a fictional view of New York City, interpreted through the lyrics and art of Ol' Dirty Bastard himself.
Produced alongside management company Four Screens, the OGN enlists creators Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Paris Alleyne, David Brame, Dojo Gubser, Jay Hero, Maan House, Mike Del Mundo, Jason Pierre, Ike Reed & David Gorden, Chris Robinson, Regine Sawyer, Damion Scott, Felipe Sobreiro, Ronald Wimberly, and more, with the full blessing and authorization of Ol' Dirty Bastard's estate, including his wife Icelene Jones.
"Experience the chaotic harmony of ODB's art and legacy in an all-new, 112-page graphic anthology that explores the legendary artist's many identities through the prisms of hand-to-hand kung-fu combat, dystopian science fiction, darkness-haunted horror, and lovelorn romance as presented by an all-star cast of creative talents," reads Oni's official press release.
"In a fractured New York City, an elemental impact event has caused different versions of the city’s most infamous neighborhoods from across the multiverse to converge together into a single reality. Spectral apparitions now haunt the streets of Queens. In the Lower East Side, a rogue artificial intelligence has seized the streets," it continues. "A hundred blocks north, time travelers are throwing a block party in Harlem. And that’s only the beginning… Our guide through this splintered mutation of New York’s past, present, and future is none other than Ol' Dirty Bastard himself. Follow him as he leads us through odd, urgent, and powerful tales that cast freedom and oppression, wealth and poverty, love and loss, and even life or death like so many dice in a cosmic game of chance."
Here's a gallery of covers for the original graphic novel:
ODB was born Russell Jones in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York. He co-founded the Wu-Tang Clan in the early '90s, going on to forge a legacy as one of the biggest artists in hip-hop. ODB also received a Grammy nomination for his solo debut album Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version. Sadly, ODB died at the age of 35 in 2004.
"I am thrilled to bring ODB to life in this incredibly powerful graphic novel. ODB: Oddities, Discord and B-Sides – Lyrical Ruckus in the City combines the essence of my husband like I've never seen before," says ODB's wife, Icelene Jones, in a statement. "He was and is an inspiration to my family, children, and fans across the world. It's been such a pleasure to see this book come to life with our incredibly talented partners at Four Screens and Oni Press."
ODB: Oddities, Discord, & B-Sides - Lyrical Ruckus in the City is crowdfunding now on Kickstarter, with an expected release date of November 2024.
