Anthrax and Z2 Comics Reunite for ‘NOT,’ a Loud, Unfiltered Illustrated History of the Thrash Metal Icons

Thrash-metal titans Anthrax are turning the volume past eleven once again, reuniting with Z2 for NOT: The Illustrated Oral History of Anthrax, an original graphic album that transforms more than four decades of music, madness, friendship, touring, cultural impact, and backstage chaos into one massive sequential-art experience.

This is not some dry history lesson dressed in a denim vest. Nah, fam. This is Anthrax telling the story of Anthrax the only way that makes sense: loud, unpredictable, brutally honest, funny as hell, and packed with enough wild memories to make even the most seasoned roadie ask, “Yo, that really happened?”

Built around candid, firsthand stories from Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Frank Bello, Joey Belladonna, and Jon Donais, NOT: The Illustrated Oral History of Anthrax dives deep into the moments that shaped one of the most influential bands in heavy music. The graphic album captures the band’s greatest triumphs, strangest encounters, biggest risks, and unforgettable misadventures through the energy and visual storytelling of comic books. And when Anthrax says no stone was left unturned, they mean it.

The stories travel all the way back to the band’s early days, including their attempts to cross paths with KISS legends Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley. From there, readers will witness Anthrax building friendships with a young Metallica and Pantera, running with their fellow New York disruptors the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, and navigating the type of onstage victories and backstage insanity that only comes from surviving more than four decades in the music business.

Yes, the book even digs into the band’s unforgettable appearance on Married… with Children. Because you cannot tell the complete Anthrax story without discussing the Bundys, a quarantined metal band, and one of the most gloriously ridiculous television cameos in heavy-metal history.

Set to arrive on March 16, 2027, the 108-page graphic album features cover artwork from acclaimed creators Brian Bolland, J.G. Jones, and Kevin McVeigh. The project also includes a limited-edition Notman 12-inch picture disc, making this release part oral history, part graphic novel, part collector’s artifact, and all-out celebration of Anthrax’s legacy.

The band’s history is brought to life by a stacked lineup of underground artists, comic-book creators, illustrators, and visual troublemakers, including Peter Bagge (Hate), Jay Howell (Bob’s Burgers), Danny Hellman (Legal Action Comics), Sean Pryor (The Illustrated Al), Erik Rodriguez (Hispanic Batman), Steve Chanks (Guitar World), Patrick J. McQuade (MAD Magazine), Jim Mahfood (Grrl Scouts), Sawblade (Terrorat), Brent Engstrom (Garbage Pail Kids), John Bergin (Golgothika), Abimael Hernandez (Frizzle Fry), Montos (Blondie), Zach Gross (Space Junk Punks), Pat Moriarity (The Rocket, Real Stuff), JayJay Jackson (Marvel, Valiant), Franco Aureliani (Tiny Titans), Steve Kurth (Dee Snider), Luke McGarry (Vans Warped Tour), Gavin Schultz (Kickflip Comics), and Maan House (Estuary).

That lineup is not playing around. Z2 has assembled creators whose work carries the same rebellious pulse, underground attitude, dark humor, and visual aggression that Anthrax has brought to stages around the world since the early 1980s. Instead of forcing the band’s history into one uniform artistic style, the graphic album appears built to embrace the chaos, allowing each story to carry its own personality and visual rhythm.

For more than four decades, Anthrax has stood as one of heavy music’s most fearless and enduring forces. As one quarter of the legendary “Big Four” of thrash metal alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth, the band helped define a sound that reshaped modern metal and inspired generations of musicians. But Anthrax was never satisfied simply staying inside one musical lane.

The band’s sharp sense of humor, comic-book-loving personality, New York attitude, and willingness to experiment helped separate them from their peers. They could deliver crushing riffs and blistering speed while still having enough personality to laugh at themselves, embrace pop culture, and take creative swings other metal bands might have considered too risky.

Their groundbreaking collaboration with Public Enemy on “Bring the Noise” helped bridge the worlds of heavy metal and hip-hop long before genre-blending became an industry marketing strategy. It was not some calculated corporate crossover cooked up in a boardroom. It was loud, authentic, culturally significant, and proof that heavy music could evolve without surrendering its identity. That fearless approach remains part of the band’s DNA.

Anthrax’s long-awaited 12th full-length studio album, CURSUM PERFICIO, is scheduled for release on September 18 through Megaforce Records. The album marks the band’s first new studio record in ten years, following 2016’s For All Kings, which debuted inside the Top 10 of the Billboard 200.

The timing makes NOT: The Illustrated Oral History of Anthrax feel like more than a nostalgic victory lap. Anthrax is not looking backward because the band has run out of road. They are revisiting the chaos, friendships, risks, and victories that built their legacy while continuing to create new music and push forward. Speaking about the upcoming graphic album, drummer Charlie Benante explained why the comic-book format offers the perfect way to share these stories with fans.

“Being a band for 40+ years you have stories, you have experiences, and the way we’re telling the stories and experiences with Z2 is a great way for us and the fans to actually visualize these little stories in comic book form,” Benante said. “I think once people see it, they’ll get a laugh out of it because these stories are true! Nothing is fabricated here. I think you’re gonna enjoy these stories, these great artists, and this new collaboration between Anthrax and Z2!”

That right there is the real hook. These are not sanitized public-relations anecdotes scrubbed clean until everybody sounds like polite robots sitting through media training. These are real stories from people who lived through the rise of thrash metal, toured the world, crossed paths with legends, survived shifting lineups and industry changes, and somehow remained a functioning band and family through it all. Z2 President Josh Bernstein echoed that excitement, describing Anthrax as the type of creative partner that continually pushes the publisher to go bigger.

“When it comes to Anthrax, there’s never a question of if we’ll work together again it’s when,” Bernstein said. “They’re one of the most innovative, fearless bands in heavy metal, and every collaboration pushes us to raise our game. The response to our first graphic novel proved that Anthrax fans want more than memorabilia they want unforgettable art and experiences.”

“This new graphic album delivers exactly that,” Bernstein continued. “It’s louder, bigger, and more ambitious than anything we’ve done together before, and we’re incredibly proud to unleash this metal thrashing madness together.”

The 108-page book will be offered in multiple editions designed for readers, longtime metalheads, comic collectors, and those fans who consider shelf space a competitive sport.

The deluxe edition and signed, limited Platinum edition will be presented in Z2’s oversized 12-by-12-inch Graphic Album format, complete with a slipcase and three art prints featuring work by Brian Bolland, Kevin McVeigh, and J.G. Jones. The package also includes a special 24-by-12-inch foldout “Anthrax Hair History” poster created by Cojo! Art Juggernaut. Because honestly, what good is documenting more than forty years of thrash-metal history without properly respecting the hair? That would be irresponsible journalism.

A standard 9-by-9-inch retail edition will also be available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, independent bookstores, and comic shops worldwide, giving fans several ways to add this illustrated dose of metal history to their collections.

NOT: The Illustrated Oral History of Anthrax arrives on March 16, 2027, bringing together music history, underground art, comic-book storytelling, and the kind of unbelievable-but-true stories that can only come from spending more than forty years inside one of thrash metal’s most important bands.

Anthrax has never been interested in doing anything quietly. This graphic album does not merely document the noise it gives that noise pictures, panels, punchlines, and a twelve-inch picture disc. Now that is metal.

Preorder now: https://z2comics.com/anthraxcollection

About Z2

Recently dubbed the “Hottest brand in music” by Forbes, Z2 has quickly become the premier destination for authentic graphic novels and collectibles, created in partnership with top-tier artists, musicians, and pop-culture icons. Distributed globally via Simon & Schuster, multiple Eisner and Ringo-nominations Z2 has produced 75+ unique graphic novel properties, collaborating with Iron Maiden, Pearl Jam, Gorillaz, Blondie, Elvis Presley, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Primus, The Blues Brothers, Pantera, Tori Amos, Last Podcast On The Left, The Vans Warped Tour, Type O Negative, Emily Hampshire, Balmain Paris, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Jason Derulo, The Grateful Dead, Machine Gun Kelly, Sublime, Beethoven, RZA, Mötley Crüe, Vince Staples, Cheech & Chong, The Doors, Anthrax, Public Enemy, Ronnie James Dio, King Diamond, All Time Low, Ivan Moody, Kool Keith, Yungblud, Cypress Hill, Babymetal, Major Lazer, RZA, Alter Bridge, Sturgill Simpson, Poppy, John Lee Hooker, and Charlie “Bird” Parker. For more information visit Z2comics.com, and follow on Instagram and Twitter.