Humanoids to Publish ‘MPLS Sound’ Music Graphic Novel in 2020

MPLS Sound, a forthcoming graphic novel co-written by Joe Illidge and Hannibal Tabu with art by Meredith Laxton, is the story of a fictional 1980s Minneapolis rock and funk band that is based on The Revolution, the band created by the music superstar Prince.

The book will be published by Humanoid’s Life Drawn imprint in October 2020.

Pages from the forthcoming graphic novel were unveiled during “Careers in Comics and Graphic Novels,” a panel discussion held at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on January 16.

Prince exploded on the music scene in 1978 putting the Minneapolis music scene and its many local bands on the map. MPLS Sound, Illidge said, is the story of Starchild, a fictional band led by an ambitious young black female musician that almost achieves stardom in 1983. Through Starchild’s journey, MPLS Sound chronicles, from a distance, the rise of a musical genius, and the rebirth of a city.

Illidge described Starchild as a “ fictional band that competed to play with Prince in the early Eighties. Basically, they were the prototype for The Revolution.”

MPLS Sound will be colored by Tan Shu, and feature cover art by Jen Bartel.