"Starboy" Is Marvel's Newest Comic About The Weeknd: Here's Everything We Know
He's got two Grammys, he's dating Selena Gomez, and to top it all off, now he's a bona fide superhero! The Weeknd surprised Marvel fans at New York Comic Con this weekend by showing up during the legendary comic imprint's Saturday panel to announce his debut comic series. So when does the Weeknd's Marvel comic come out? You'll have to wait a bit to actually get your hands on the debut copy, but it sounds like it will be here soon enough.
The Weeknd actually hasn't given us much information on what his first Marvel collaboration will be about, but we do know it will be called Starboy, the same name as his third studio album and hit single released last year. The Weeknd also unveiled the cover for the first issue, which reveals that he will portray the title character himself, and that his superpower will probably have something to do with his right arm... since, like, it has purple energy surrounding it on the cover. The cover also reveals that the debut issue will be coming out in 2018, although that's as specific as it gets. Check out the cover for issue on of The Weeknd's comic Starboy below.
Although he didn't give out more info about his new superhero alter-ego, The Weeknd did hang out with a bunch of fans at Marvel's booth at New York Comic Con on Saturday. With a giant version of his Starboy comic cover behind him, The Weeknd greeted fans at the booth and signed autographs for them.
And obviously, the pop singer's appearance became the talk of Comic Con, as countless fans flooded the show floor to snap pictures with The Weeknd and grab an autograph if they were lucky.
But despite the fact that The Weeknd was among probably the most inquisitive and comic-loving crowd in the world, he didn't give up much information on what the Starboy comics will be about. But, we can assume his new superhero will have something to do with his single of the same name. That's all we really have to go off of at this point, but it might be pretty illuminating when you go over the details of that song and its music video.
Despite its sleek, dance-pop, Daft Punk-produced levity, The Weeknd's song "Starboy" actually highlights the dark underbelly of massive fame. In the song's video, we see The Weeknd suffocate another version of himself before trashing the luxurious, awards-filled mansion of his former self with a giant, neon red cross.
The music video actually seems to fit in very well with the gritty, dark, and more down-to-earth heroes Marvel has been featuring lately on their TV shows like Jessica Jones and Daredevil. If the Starboy that The Weeknd is portraying in the music video is the same as the Starboy we'll see in the comics, then we might be seeing that red neon cross (his weapon of choice) make an appearance in print. It's also possible that the people he's fighting might be the rich and famous rather than the usual supervillains. As for the panther that Starboy rides off with in the video, maybe he will be some sort of animal sidekick in the comics? I don't know, but this video is really all we have to go off of right now, so check it out and see if you can get a vibe about the upcoming comic book series.
The Weeknd has most recently been known for his enviable features on tracks with incredibly high-profile artists like Kanye West ("FML"), Beyoncé ("6 Inch"), and Lana Del Rey ("Lust for Life"). His debut comic book series Starboy will be released by Marvel in 2018.
