“This deluxe edition contains actual soil from the grave of William Blake”: Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson is releasing a comic book compilation with dirt from the resting place of one of England’s most famous poets

Bruce Dickinson in 2024 and a painting of William Blake in 1759 — (Image credit: Jason Mendez/Getty Images | Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

Bruce Dickinson is releasing a comic book box set that contains dirt from the grave of William Blake.

The Iron Maiden singer announced today (March 27) that he’s compiling the first four issues of his graphic novel series The Mandrake Project and releasing them in a deluxe set. The package comes with a medallion, interviews from the vocalist and the team behind the comic, and a foreword from Sons Of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter.

Most striking, though, is the fact that the comic book collection was printed using ink mixed with soil from the resting place of Blake, an 18th-century poet and painter.

Promotional materials declare: “Collecting the individual issues of the acclaimed comic series, this deluxe edition contains actual soil from the grave of William Blake.”

The set, full title The Mandrake Project: Year One, will come out on August 5 via Z2 Comics. See pre-order options now via the Z2 website.

Blake is best-known for his book The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell and his painting The Great Red Dragon And The Woman Clothed With Sun. Dickinson, an avid fan of his work, used the renaissance man as inspiration for themes on his 2024 solo album The Mandrake Project, which is the basis of the comic book series of the same name. He previously used one of Blake’s paintings as the cover of his 1998 record The Chemical Wedding.

Last year, the singer became a patron of the William Blake Cottage Trust, which owns and preserves William Blake’s only surviving house, “The Cottage” in Felpham, West Sussex.

He comments: “William Blake has given me so much over the years and I want to repay the debt by helping to restore The Cottage. Despite his impact on the world, there is no centre for Blake, nowhere people can visit to see where he actually lived and worked during a key part of his life. I want to change this.”

Blake’s work has inspired multiple projects across pop culture. Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon, featuring the serial killer Hannibal Lecter, and its adaptations feature The Great Red Dragon… as a major plot point. Norwegian black metal band Ulver released an album called Themes From William Blake’s The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell in 1998.

Dickinson will tour North America with his solo band in August and September. See dates and details via his website. He’ll also tour Europe with Iron Maiden this summer.

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Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.