I’ve written a bunch about the crossovers between hip-hop and comics books, from Stan Lee’s influence on rap to the comics lines created by stars like Lisa and Metro Boomin.
At New York Comic Con next week, Marvel and Mass Appeal will carry on that tradition (heh), with Legend Has It…, a new comics series inspired by Mass Appeal’s ongoing album initiative starring rap icons such as Big L, De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Nas, Raekwon, and Slick Rick. Written by Brandon Thomas and illustrated by Sanford Greene, the series will be formally launched on October 10 at NYCC, with issue #1 available at Whatnot’s live shopping stage, Whatnot House, from 5:30–7:00 PM ET, with an exclusive variant cover following the “Comics and Hip-Hop: A Marvel x Mass Appeal Conversation” panel.
There might be no better partner to explore the intersections between rap and comics than Marvel, as the publisher already has a rich history of working with rap titans through its 2015 variant covers turning books starring the likes of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, and ThorMidnight Marauders, 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Trying, ASAP Rocky’s Long.Live.A$AP, and MF Doom and Madlib’s Madvillainy.
In a press release, Mass Appeal’s founder Nas said, “Working with Marvel on this comic is a celebration of Hip Hop and its legacy. There’s a story we tell through our music, and watching that energy come to life in these pages is a tribute to the culture that shaped us and continues to inspire generations.”