System of a Down Drummer Launching Comic Book Venture
Band Photo: System Of A Down (?)
With multi-Platinum rock band System of a Down currently on hiatus and his Scars on Broadway project with SOAD's Daron Malakian in the early stages, drummer John Dolmayan will fulfill his other passion of comic books and collectibles by launching Torpedo Comics, an exclusively Internet-based retail store. Torpedo Comics goes live on November 1, 2007, and will boast some 15-million items - comic books, toys, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, superhero action figures and other comic book-related memorabilia, ranging in price from 99-cents to six-figures.
Dolmayan, who has been collecting comic books since he was 12, houses Torpedo Comics' inventory in a just-completed 30,000-square foot warehouse in Las Vegas, NV where he now lives. He employs a staff of 25 who catalogue and care for rare items like Sensation Comics issue #1 (the first solo series featuring Wonder Woman), just about every key issue of Marvel and DC comics including Marvel Comics' issue #1, multiple copies of Giant Size X-Men #1, plus superhero action figures from Marvel, X-Men, Superman, and Batman titles. Torpedo Comics will also offer original comic art, created between the 1940s and the present, by some 150 different artists, including Jim Lee, Art Adams, Bernie Wrightson, and Alejandro Gaza.
Dolmayan incorporated his love for comic books into the drum kit that he played during System of a Down's 2006 tour. Dolmayan contacted 22 of his favorite comic book artists, including Jim Lee, Simon Bisley, Kevin Eastman, Neal Adams and Bill Sienkiewicz, were each sent various pieces of the drum kit onto which they drew original illustrations.
As for Dolmayan and Malakian's Scars on Broadway venture, the two have been writing and rehearsing new material and plan to begin recording their debut album today, September 27, intended for a Summer 2008 release.
As drummer for System of a Down, Dolmayan shared in the band's global success of some 20-million albums sold, headlining sold-out arenas, having three consecutive #1 albums on the Billboard charts, four Grammy nominations and one win for Best Hard Rock Performance, all the while maintaining a high musical integrity, its core fan base, and its position as one of the most unique band in rock.
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1. KF writes:
This guy is always at Wizard World, Comic-Con, etc. Its funny becaue he doesnt act all pre-modanna. He just stands there and most people don't know who he is. He does shake hands and takes pictures with those who do recognize him. IDK. I thought that was pretty cool.