Bruce Springsteen announced he is to release a graphic novel, based on a book he loved as a child.
The comic is titled Outlaw Pete, it is based on the singer’s song of the same name.
The original song is about a character who can’t escape his past, it is from Springsteen’s 2009 album Working on a Dream.
Publisher Simon & Schuster, released the news that Outlaw Pete would be coming out November 4th. The novel is written by Springsteen and cartoonist-writer Frank Caruso.
Caruso, came up with the book idea listening to Outlaw Pete and decided to approach Bruce about making the song into a graphic novel. He began by creating illustrations to accompany Springsteen’s lyrics.
Commenting on the comic on brucespringsteen.net, Caruso said “When Bruce wrote ‘Outlaw Pete’ he didn’t just write a great song, he created a great character. The first time I heard the song this book played out in my head. Like Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Dorothy Gale and for me, even Popeye, Outlaw Pete cuts deep into the folklore of our country and weaves its way into the fabric of great American literary characters.”
The inspiration for the song and the new book came from a children’s book, Brave Cowboy Bill (Simon & Schuster, 1950), which Bruce Springsteen’s mother used to read to him as a child. “Outlaw Pete is essentially the story of a man trying to outlive and outrun his sins,” Springsteen writes.
Listen to Outlaw Pete below.
