Forming in 2004 in the wake of Creed’s initial breakup, Alter Bridge has been one of the most successful Hard Rock bands over the last twenty years. A tremendous story of Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips (all from Creed) teaming with the dynamic Vocalist Myles Kennedy to create something new, Alter Bridge has continuously connected with many listeners. Arguably heavier and more progressive-sounding than Creed, Alter Bridge has put out one chart-topping album after another from 2004’s One Day Remains through to 2022’s Pawns & Kings.
At this point, going strong for over twenty years, they will release their eighth studio album, a highly anticipated self-titled album, on January 9, 2026. A record the band began working on in early 2025, the last five years leading up to the forthcoming new album have indeed been marked by many highlights. Touring extensively around the world in 2022 and 2023, they also celebrated the 20th anniversary of One Day Remains in 2024 with an expanded edition with bonus tracks and B-sides. Furthermore, in the spring of 2021, they announced a partnership with Z2 Comics to release their first-ever graphic novel.
A new adventure for Alter Bridge, the graphic novel Alter Bridge: Tour of Horrors hit stores in July of 2022 in softcover or hardcover. Beyond this, the intial release also included a limited edition oversized hardcover, art prints, and a special 2LP set of One Day Remains in red-colored vinyl, as well as a super deluxe edition with additional fabric wall hanging tapestry, commemorative cards, and a super-duper deluxe edition which included a hand-signed edition of the graphic novel by the entire band.
At this point, you can still get the deluxe edition at retail price, as well as the soft or hardcover editions. Nonetheless, with several options, it is crucial to understand that Alter Bridge Lead Guitarist Mark Tremonti is an avid Horror film fan, so the opportunity to be part of a Horror-themed graphic novel is a dream come true.
A project the band was directly involved in developing with primary Writer Emily Ryan Lerner (who has worked for Marvel and HBO in the past), other contributors included Writers Clay McLeod Chapman (known for his work on Venom) and Nelson Blake II (known for his work on Spider-Man titles). At the same time, the art was handled by Annapaola Martello (known for her work on Captain Marvel), Carlos Olivares, Beni R. Lobel, and Lalit Kumar Sharma.
Together as a team, they put together a solid anthology Horror comic in the vein of EC Comics’ Tales from the Crypt, with Alter Bridge as the primary focus. Rather cool, you are invited into a scene with Alter Bridge on tour, where they have to replace their missing roadie with an unknown quantity named Trauma. A mysterious character, Trauma, soon tells the band four tales of terror that may very well be more than fiction.
Flowing extremely well, it is an excellent combination of Horror, Rock-n-Roll, and it is a very different music-based graphic novel in the way that it does not revolve around the band’s music. In all, it is a great counterpart to Alter Bridge, and hopefully it will be more than a one-time thing. In fact, it would be cool to see future projects in which Alter Bridge encounters the supernatural in a graphic novel format.
Only time will tell if there wil be follow-up issues, but seeing how well Tour of Horrors came out both storywise and graphically, one can only hope. Until then, it is recommended to check out Tour of Horrors and gear up for the release of Alter Bridge’s new album in January 2026. As it is, Cryptic Rock gives Alter Bridge: Tour of Horrors 5 out of 5 stars.
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