Oliver Tree Announces First Graphic Novel- Oliver Tree Vs. Little Ricky: Alien Boys!

Alt-Pop’s Provocateur and Fashion Icon In-The-Making Works on His Comic Book Debut in Retirement w/ New York Times Best-Selling Graphic Novelist Orpheus Collar

NEW YORK, NY—Z2 Comics reveal the first of their 2021 spring lineup today, with what is certain to be one of the most talked about comic book debuts since Stan Lee christened the Silver Age, with the arrival of Oliver Tree’s first graphic novel Oliver Tree Vs. Little Ricky: Alien Boys! Following on a string of select track appearances following the influential artist’s untimely retirement from music, comes his latest creative venture in the world of comics!

“When I retired from comics in 2019, I didn't think there was anything that could draw me back”, says co-author Orpheus Collar. “But as I was drawn into Oliver and Ricky's orbit, I connected with their struggles navigating art and commerce. ALIEN BOYS is a prescient and exciting tale, which, like the thumping bass-line of Oliver &Ricky's musical oeuvre, will resonate with people of all beats of life. For those interested in out-of-this-world scooter tricks, punching and kicking, there's plenty of that too.”  

“Oliver has descended upon comics like the Son of Odin to wield his scooter like Thor swinging Mjölnir,” says Z2 publisher Josh Frankel. “This book has everything his fans would want out of his first comic book, and everything comics fans could need for full indoctrination into Oliver Tree fandom. With Orpheus handling the art, I would argue that the world of Oliver Tree and Lil Ricky has never been more vivid and more hilarious.”

ALIEN BOYS tells Oliver Tree’s life story, picking up as he is thrown into the meat grinder of the music industry to promote his debut album "Ugly is Beautiful". Denied his chosen herbal medicine to overcome the aches and pains brought on by a deadly life in the fast lane, Oliver threatens to retire, prompting his label to find an out-of-this world replacement in Little Ricky, an alien with a sick mix tape….In a world too small for the both of them, Oliver and Ricky are forced to either become fast friends or throw down in a turbo-charged battle that threatens to destroy them both.

Oliver Tree Vs. Little Ricky: Alien Boys will be released on April 13, 2021 and is available for preorder now through the Z2 website in both a standard edition graphic novel for $19.99, as well as a special hardcover deluxe edition, which includes an exclusive vinyl variant of Oliver’s final album Ugly is Beautiful for $99.99. Preorder now: (Insert link)

About Oliver Tree:

Dubbed by Billboard as “Alt-pop's merry prankster,” Oliver Tree's debut album ‘Ugly is Beautiful’ has earned raves from HYPEBEAST (“...somewhere between a meme and creative polymath”) Interview (“With Ugly is Beautiful...the Gen-Z jester has declared his arrival onto the internet’s airwaves”) and more. ‘Ugly Is Beautiful’ debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart and Alternative Albums Chart, and in the Top 15 on the Billboard 200. As if that wasn’t enough, he celebrated the release of 'Ugly Is Beautiful' by breaking the Guinness World Record for building (and crashing) the world's largest scooter and is on his way to becoming a fashion icon.

On ‘Ugly is Beautiful,’ Oliver Tree takes his millions of followers on an unpredictable roller coaster ride through a cracked world full of comic disaster. ‘Ugly is Beautiful’ then is the product of all of Oliver’s otherworldly experiences distilled into fourteen songs - the promise of his EPs, ‘Alien Boy’ and ‘Do You Feel Me?’ fulfilled. As Rolling Stone stated, Oliver Tree is outlandish, and it’s working.”

About Orpheus Collar

New York Times Best-selling graphic novelist Orpheus Collar has come out of retirement to create co-author Alien Boys with Oliver Tree and Little Ricky. His graphic novel work includes adapting and illustrating Rick Riordan's THE KANE CHRONICLES trilogy, currently in development for Netflix, and illustrating the PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN graphic novels, currently in development at Disney +. 

About Z2 Comics:

Z2 is the premier destination for top quality music-based comics and graphic novels, having worked across genres to deliver an authentic experience to diverse audiences.

Some of the publisher’s best-selling books include Apocrypha: The Legend of BABYMETAL, YUNGBLUD Presents: The Twisted tales of the Ritalin Club and Eden: A Skillet Graphic Novel, alongside debut works of graphic fiction by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), DJ Paul Oakenfold, internet sensation Poppy, jazz trumpeter Dave Chisholm and others. Z2’s upcoming works include books created with partnership with The Grateful Dead, Sturgill Simpson and others.