Author: James Janocha

Vault Comics blends music and comics in ‘Def Leppard Hysteria’ #0 FCBD Special

Posted on by James Janocha

via AIPT

Vault Comics has revealed their Free Comic Book Day offering for next year, and it’s Def Leppard Hysteria #0 FCBD Special. The special focuses on the origin of the world’s most dangerous guitar.

“Blending music and comics together like this is an incredible and insane dream, and I could not be more thrilled by the work Eliot, Alex, and Vault have put into Hysteria. It has been a joy and one hell of a ride. I know fans are going to love it,” said Phil Collen, Def Leppard guitarist.

Co-writer Eliot Rahal said, “From the very beginning, before we had anything, this story felt big. Phil came to us with a vision, a ton of passion, and the word ‘Hysteria’—something that has a lot of history for the band. It’s something that carries a lot of meaning. A legacy. And in many ways, that’s what this story is about. The Vault team  worked with me tirelessly to help create a framework to capture that spirit. Then… as the team assembled and the art came in… I saw the idea take shape in real-time, and the weight of the project became even more real. I put everything I had into this book because it was clear to me that everyone else also had as well. I’ll be forever grateful for being a part of this project.”

Check out the cover and a preview below.
“As a Midwestern native raised on rock and roll and a musician from a family of musicians, Foz and Darkside’s story has come to mean a lot to me,” added illustrator Alex Schlitz. ”The opportunity to work on this book with Def Leppard has been not only a huge honor, but such an exhilarating treat. I’m so grateful to be part of the team bringing this story to life, and I’ve had such a blast working with Eliot, Phil, and Fabi to create this world. I’m excited for everyone else to finally get to come on the journey with us!”

Check out a preview below.

When Foz, the frontwoman of indie band Darkside, inherits her father’s estate, it comes with a guitar she half-remembers from her childhood. The guitar speaks to her, promising fame and success. Soon, it delivers. But when Darkside’s equipment is stolen at a massive music venue, just before they’re set to take the stage with Def Leppard, Foz goes on the warpath to get it back. A knuckle-dusting rampage ensues, and the guitar’s true history is revealed.

HYSTERIA #0 FCBD SPECIAL

Writers: Phil Collen & Eliot Rahal
Artist: Alex Schlitz
Colorist: Fabi Marques
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Cover Art: Lisa Sterle

JOE ELLIOTT’S SONGS FROM THE VAULT – SIRIUS XM (NOVEMBER 2024 EDITION)

Posted on by James Janocha

GREETINGS MUSIC LOVERS – AND WELCOME BACK TO JOE ELLIOTT’S SONGS FROM THE VAULT SHOW ON SIRIUSXM’S DEEP TRACKS CHANNEL.

In the NOVEMBER 2024 hour’s show, Joe highlights and tells stories about some of his favourite songs and artists from his own personal collection.

November’s Show features music and stories from Procol Harum, Alan Parsons Project, Doctors of Madness and more!

WHO: Def Leppard frontman, musician, and musicologist Joe Elliott

WHAT: Joe Elliott’s Songs from the Vault

WHERE: SiriusXM’s DeepTracks (Ch. 27)

WHEN: Show Schedule HERE

MORE:

In his youth, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott was creatively influenced by the music of the late 60’s and early 70’s. From legendary acts like T. Rex, Mott The Hoople, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and so many others. Each month, listen to Elliott play “Deep Tracks” from his personal music collection. Expect to hear songs from Joe’s vault and some of the stories behind them.

DEF LEPPARD TO PERFORM AT COLISEO DE PUERTO RICO ON MAY 15th, 2025

Posted on by James Janocha

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame®-inducted icons and rockmusic legendsDef Leppard, will bring their electrifying performance toCOLISEO DE PUERTORICOonMay 15th, 2025, for an unforgettable night of rock‘n’roll.

Rock Brigade Concert Club members get first access to tickets Thursday 14 November at 8a with tickets on sale to the general public at 10a.

JOIN THE ROCK BRIGADE

GET TICKETS

JOE ELLIOTT’S SONGS FROM THE VAULT – SIRIUS XM (OCTOBER 2024 EDITION)

Posted on by James Janocha

GREETINGS MUSIC LOVERS – AND WELCOME BACK TO JOE ELLIOTT’S SONGS FROM THE VAULT SHOW ON SIRIUSXM’S DEEP TRACKS CHANNEL.

In the OCTOBER 2024 hour’s show, Joe highlights and tells stories about some of his favourite songs and artists from his own personal collection.

October’s Show features music and stories from Supertramp, Television, 10cc and more!

WHO: Def Leppard frontman, musician, and musicologist Joe Elliott

WHAT: Joe Elliott’s Songs from the Vault

WHERE: SiriusXM’s DeepTracks (Ch. 27)

WHEN: Show Schedule HERE

MORE:

In his youth, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott was creatively influenced by the music of the late 60’s and early 70’s. From legendary acts like T. Rex, Mott The Hoople, David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and so many others. Each month, listen to Elliott play “Deep Tracks” from his personal music collection. Expect to hear songs from Joe’s vault and some of the stories behind them.

‘One Night Only Live At The Leadmill’ is out today

Posted on by James Janocha


This 60-minute set promises to take you back to the band’s club days, as they fill the iconic The Leadmill with under 900 die-hard fans – in what is the band’s most intimate show in the last 35 years.

From fan-favourites ‘Wasted’ and ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ to the more recent ‘Fire It Up’, Def Leppard perform an extraordinary stadium style set in the most intimate way, including hits and rarities spanning their entire catalogue.

GET YOURS TODAY!

Def Leppard’s Phil Collen on ‘Hysteria’ Graphic Novel, ‘Dangerous’ Guitars, and His ‘Darkside’

Posted on by James Janocha

When Phil Collen was growing up in London in the 1960s, comic books weren’t as popular as they were in the U.S. But the Def Leppard guitarist was a fan anyway. “Some of the news agents would sell these American comics, and I used to just load up on them,” the 66-year-old tells Rolling Stone via phone from his California home. “I’ve actually got The Silver Surfer No. 1. I’ve still got The Incredible Hulk No. 3 and early Batman stuff, all from the Sixties.”

Although he’s admittedly not an ardent comics fan now and hasn’t followed any recent titles, Collen latched onto the art form recently when Vault Comics asked him if he’d like to make a title of his own. Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz had created a graphic novel for them, which Collen enjoyed, but he had other ideas of how it could be done. The guitarist explained that he been writing his own “really dark short stories” lately. “Before you knew it, I’m talking to the writer [Eliot Rahal], and I’d come up with a plot and a plan, and we just kind of expanded on that,” he says.

Now Vault is releasing Hysteria: The Graphic Novel, a book that shares its title with Def Leppard’s magnum opus but little else. Instead, it tells the story of indie rocker, Foz, who fronts a band called Darkside. When she inherits her late father’s estate, she rediscovers a guitar he owned when she was little. Eventually, the instrument begins speaking to her with promises of fame and fortune and she learns the instrument’s true history, part of which is revealed in the graphic novel’s first pages above, premiering here, and hysteria ensues.

“Writing this just seemed like a very natural, normal thing to do,” Collen says. “Even the process was really … I won’t say easy, but it’s fun.”

Now Collen is writing music for a real-life Darkside project to record and says he’s just starting to understand the full power of graphic storytelling.

Read the full interview and preview the Graphic Novel at RollingStone.com