Oliver Tree is branching out into new forms of creativity with his first graphic novel. Oliver Tree Vs. Little Ricky: Alien Boys is supposedly the twisted pop star's life story, which finds him threatening to quit the music industry forever. One can't imagine that Tree will be retiring anytime soon, but this is what the graphic novel is claiming, and it has a lot more to say after that. You can read what Tree thinks of the graphic novel below.
"I've been writing this manifesto for the last 15 years, and after hundreds of different versions, I've finally crafted the greatest story ever told. This is my magnum opus, based off real events from my travels around the world. Let this book serve as a bible for my fellow artists in their darkest hour..."
In a recent interview, Oliver Tree was asked about his favorite part of his creative process, which involves producing music, writing lyrics, and directing his own music videos, along with a lot more. The artist revealed that the music video aspect is his favorite part, which lends itself to the creation of Alien Boys. Tree is ready for the world to get a new glimpse of his creative endeavors, which may very well carry over to other parts of his work in the near future.
Alien Boys tells Oliver Tree's life story, picking up as he is thrown into the meat grinder of the music industry to promote his debut retirement album, titled Ugly is Beautiful (the album was released in July). Denied his chosen herbal medicine to overcome the aches and pains brought on by a deadly life in the fast lane, Oliver threatens to retire, prompting his label to find an out-of-this world replacement in Little Ricky, an alien with a sick mix tape... In a world too small for the both of them, Oliver and Ricky are forced to either become fast friends or throw down in a turbo-charged battle that threatens to destroy them both.
Alien Boys co-author Orpheus Collar was no-longer active in the comic industry when Oliver Tree approached him about a collaboration. "When I retired from comics in 2019, I didn't think there was anything that could draw me back. But as I was drawn into Oliver and Ricky's orbit, I connected with their struggles navigating art and commerce," Collar says. The co-author went on to hype the graphic novel, which sounds a lot like the way Tree would handle such duties. "Alien Boys is a prescient and exciting tale, which, like the thumping bassline of Oliver and Ricky's musical oeuvre, will resonate with people of all beats of life. For those interested in out-of-this-world scooter tricks, punching and kicking, there's plenty of that too."
If that wasn't enough, even Little Ricky ZR3, aka Oliver Tree, from Alien Boys spoke about his role in the upcoming graphic novel. "I do not endorse this book in any way. I haven't received any financial compensation for my contributions to the novel," says the alien. "Oliver did not allow me to be credited as a writer, which is strange because it's based off my life as well. Also I would like to say I do not believe this story to be entirely accurate. He left out extremely important details to save face from making himself look bad." It sounds like Tree and Ricky are going to have some intergalactic royalty battles in the near future.
Alien Boys is published by Z2 Comics and the company's Josh Frankel is pretty hyped for the graphic novel. "This book has everything his fans would want out of his first comic book, and everything comics fans could need for full indoctrination into Oliver Tree fandom," Frankel says. "With Orpheus handling the art, I would argue that the world of Oliver Tree and Lil Ricky has never been more vivid and more hilarious." For anyone looking to get further into the mind of Oliver Tree, you can head over to Z2 Comics to purchase his debut graphic novel, which will be released on April 13th, 2021. There are multiple versions to choose from, including a limited edition hardcover edition.
