{"id":1971299,"date":"2025-08-20T22:59:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T22:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1971299"},"modified":"2025-08-20T22:59:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T22:59:25","slug":"bruce-dickinson-on-whats-next-for-his-watchmen-type-music-comic-book-project-im-aiming-high-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/bruce-dickinson-on-whats-next-for-his-watchmen-type-music-comic-book-project-im-aiming-high-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Dickinson on What\u2019s Next for His \u2018Watchmen-Type\u2019 Music\/Comic Book Project: \u2018I\u2019m Aiming High Here\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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He\u2019s an iconic heavy metal singer, both with Iron Maiden<\/a> and on his own. He\u2019s a commercially licensed pilot whose air exploits are documented on film (2009\u2019s Iron Maiden: Flight 666<\/em>). He\u2019s hosted award-winning radio shows, published books and graphic novels, and been part of beer brands.<\/p>\n

But Bruce Dickinson is nonplussed when all of these accomplishments are placed before him.<\/p>\n

More from Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it kinda crept up on me,\u201d Dickinson tells Billboard<\/em> via Zoom from France. This Friday (Aug. 22), he kicks off a North American tour in Anaheim, Calif., supporting 2024\u2019s The Mandrake Project<\/em> and following this year\u2019s More Balls to Picasso<\/em>, a fresh reimagining of Dickinson\u2019s second solo album, Balls to Picasso<\/em>, which came out in 1994.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I did Mandrake<\/em> I looked back at all this stuff I\u2019ve done and I went, \u2018I\u2019m actually proud of all this stuff. It\u2019s really good!’\u201d he continues with a laugh. \u201cI tend to discount stuff that I\u2019ve done once I\u2019ve done it. I don\u2019t revisit it. Maiden\u2019s the same way. The artist in me wants to move on, move on, move on and keep pushing, but sometimes it\u2019s just nice to sit back, roll in it all and go, \u2018This is really cool.\u2019 It\u2019s great to discover I\u2019m a fan of the stuff I did \u2014 isn\u2019t that weird?’\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mandrake Project<\/em>, Dickinson\u2019s first solo outing in 19 years, is a continuing conceptual fantasy piece that\u2019s allowed Dickinson to combine a few of his creative ambitions. In addition to the music \u2014 10 songs on the album, all by Dickinson and six with producer Roy Z \u2014 it\u2019s slated to be a 12-volume comic book series, written by Dickinson with Tony Lee for Z2 comics, illustrated by Staz Johnson. The first four issues are out and have been packaged together, with the other eight in progress and another album of Mandrake<\/em>-inspired music set to start recording early next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cMandrake<\/em>, the story, is constantly unfolding and constantly teaching me things about writing,\u201d Dickinson explains. \u201cEpisodes five, six and seven are scripted and we\u2019re in the middle of the artwork for that now, getting those done. It\u2019s a long process. It\u2019s a really fascinating process as well. It\u2019s not like a book. It\u2019s not like a film. It really is a complete hybrid art form. So I\u2019m aiming high here; the holy grail in all this is sort of the Watchmen<\/em>-type comic. And if I even get halfway there, I\u2019ll be very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dickinson took Mandrake<\/em> to the stage last year, mostly in Europe, between legs of Iron Maiden\u2019s successful The Future Past World Tour. He plans to add more of the album\u2019s songs into the North American shows (as well as a side trip to The Town festival on Sept. 7 in Sao Paulo), mixing them with songs from his other solo albums and perhaps something from the Maiden catalog (he included part of \u201cAlexandar the Great\u201d in Europe). He\u2019s been working on some fresh visuals, too, and promises a re-set of the stage from what he did before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a reasonably varied repertoire,\u201d Dickinson says, \u201cbecause the band is so flexible, and because it\u2019s not like a Maiden tour where we\u2019re locked into that set with the show and the lights and everything. With this (solo tour) we can vary it. We can say, \u2018Hey, what do we fancy doing tonight? Let\u2019s do this one as an encore\u2019 and so on. It\u2019s fun. It\u2019s nice to have the flexibility of being a little bit random.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Mandrake <\/em>music to accompany future volumes of the comic is in motion as well, according to Dickinson, who plans to take his touring band into the studio during January with producer Brendan Duffey, who also worked on More Balls to Picasso<\/em>. \u201cIn April we convened and had a massive, collective brain dump in the studio and came up with 18 song demos, maybe two or three that are connected to (Mandrake<\/em>),\u201d he says. \u201cNow we\u2019re refining the demos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Writing for Mandrake<\/em>, he explains, is like \u201chaving a conversation in your head with a thing you\u2019ve already written. In a way you\u2019re interviewing the character you\u2019ve created by saying, \u2018Why are you like this? Tell me about yourself, and I\u2019m gonna write a song about you.\u2019 Very interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Mandrake<\/em> movie might seem like a logical future project as well, but Dickinson cautions fans not to hold their breath. \u201cI\u2019m not even gonna think about that,\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019m involved in writing the story and getting it to episode 12 and a conclusion. At that point we can sit back and look and everything. I think a lot of people rush into (a film). It\u2019s a huge commitment making a film or a TV series. So I want to finish the story the way I want it before anybody else tries to get their hands on it.\u201d He also laughs out loud at the notion of a Mandrake <\/em>stage musical before offering a firm \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dickinson is also ready to continue Maiden\u2019s Run For Your Lives World Tour, which ran through Europe this summer and featured Simon Dawson, bassist Steve Harris\u2019 bandmate in British Lion, taking the place of the retired Nicko McBrain. More concerts will be taking place during 2026, though dates have not yet been announced, and Dickinson is looking forward to continuing his creative juggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new tour of ours, which will be coming Stateside, is the most incredible thing we\u2019ve ever done, and people will be blown away by it,\u201d he says. \u201cThis tour has been revelatory, really, in how much fun we\u2019re having on stage. It\u2019s evident in everybody\u2019s playing, and, for what it\u2019s worth, all the reviews and things are off the charts. You can never make everybody happy, but by and large, it\u2019s doing great. We can only guess how great it\u2019s doing in people\u2019s hearts and minds from the reactions we get every night, which are amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dickinson\u2019s upcoming The Mandrake Project<\/em> tour dates are as follows (asterisk signifies a festival date):<\/p>\n

Fri, Aug 22\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bAnaheim, CA\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 House of Blues<\/p>\n

Sat, Aug 23\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bLas Vegas, NV\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 House of Blues<\/p>\n

Mon, Aug 25\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Phoenix, AZ\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Marquee Theatre<\/p>\n

Tues, Aug 26\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bAlbuquerque, NM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Revel<\/p>\n

Thurs, Aug 28\u200b\u00a0\u00a0 Houston, TX\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 House of Blues<\/p>\n

Fri, Aug 29\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dallas, TX\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 House of Blues<\/p>\n

Sun, Aug 31\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pryor, OK\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rocklahoma*<\/p>\n

Tues, Sept 2\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New Orleans, LA\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 House of Blues<\/p>\n

Thurs, Sept 4\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fort Lauderdale, FL\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Revolution<\/p>\n

Sun, Sept 7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bSao Paulo, Brazil\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Town*<\/p>\n

Wed, Sept 10\u00a0 \u200bBrooklyn, NY\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Brooklyn Paramount<\/p>\n

Thurs, Sept 11 \u200bBoston, MA\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 House of Blues<\/p>\n

Sat, Sept 13\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bPittsburgh, PA\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stage AE<\/p>\n

Sun, Sept. 14\u200b\u00a0\u00a0 Silver Spring, MD\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fillmore Silver Spring<\/p>\n

Tues, Sept 16\u200b\u00a0\u00a0 Toronto, ON\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 HISTORY<\/p>\n

Thurs, Sept 18\u200b\u00a0 Montreal, QC\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 MTELUS<\/p>\n

Sun, Sept 21\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bLouisville, KY\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200bLouder Than Life*<\/p>\n

Tues, Sept 23\u200b\u00a0\u00a0 Philadelphia, PA\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Fillmore<\/p>\n

Thurs, Sept 25\u200b\u00a0 Detroit, MI\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Fillmore<\/p>\n

Sat, Sept 27\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chicago, IL\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Riviera Theatre<\/p>\n

Sun, Sept 28\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bMinneapolis, MN\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Uptown<\/p>\n

Tues, Sept 30\u00a0 \u200bDenver, CO\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u200bSummit Music Hall<\/p>\n

Fri, Oct 3\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sacramento, CA \u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aftershock*<\/p>\n

Sun, Oct 5\u200b\u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Los Angeles, CA\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u200b\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Wiltern<\/p>\n

Best of Billboard<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He\u2019s an iconic heavy metal singer, both with Iron Maiden and on his own. He\u2019s a commercially licensed pilot whose air exploits are documented on film (2009\u2019s Iron Maiden: Flight 666). He\u2019s hosted award-winning radio shows, published books and graphic novels, and been part of beer brands. But Bruce Dickinson is nonplussed when all of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1971300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[350705,350704,350706],"class_list":["post-1971299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-balls-to-picasso","tag-bruce-dickinson","tag-iron-maiden-flight-666"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Bruce-Dickinson-on-Whats-Next-for-His-\u2018Watchmen-Type-MusicComic-Book.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1971299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1971299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1971300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1971299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1971299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1971299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}