The first Alice comic, Marvel Premier 50, was released in 1979 by Marvel comics. It was based on the then current 'From The Inside' album. In the comic writers Jim Salicrup, Roger Stern and Ed Hannigan, and artists Tom Sutton and Terry Austin take a few liberties with the characters on the album, Veronica becomes a snake for example, but the end result is great fun and quite pssibly introduced many young readers to Alice for the first time.
There's a very obscure Alice Cooper link in another Marvel comic published in October 1977. 'Howard The Duck' #17 features a villain with a metal globe where his right hand should be called Doctor Bong (a partial parody of Marvel villain Doctor Doom) who explains his origin. He was once Lester Verde, a obnoxious guy who wanted to become a journalist solely to destroy the people around him. Eventually he becomes a rock journalist, but felt he was not seen as being important. To counter this, he decided to write an expose on "the most popular, most outrageous rock group of the early 1970's," Mildred Horowitz. Verde explains "I was to write about the group -- about the glitter, the decadence, the amorality, the teenage hysteria they engendered. And since I already had a paperback deal lined up, I happily because part of it all! I could rationalize my seduction later, in print!"
As seen in the comic, Verde comes out during the Horowitz show as the Easter Bunny. He is then attacked by the band. Unfortunately, during one show, Verde gets his hand caught in the Guillotine on stage and the blade falls, slicing his right hand off which explains the metal orb at the end of his arm.
This is all a parody based around journalist Bob Greene and the 'Billion Dollar Baby' book about Alice Cooper.
Alice is also mentioned in Marvel Comics' Avengers #153 (1976). A man looking for souvenirs outside Avengers' mansion says, "my brother once got a dead python from Alice Cooper and sold it for wo grand!"
The second proper Alice Cooper comics appearance was an unauthorised biography in comic form released by 'Rock'n'roll Comics' in 1990. Writer Spike Steffenhagen and artist Steven Goupil recount the story of the band in black and white.
There was later a feature length documentary about the 'Rock'n'Roll Comics' company whihc briefy features Alice.
'The Last Temptation' album was released with the first of three comic books based on the album's concept. It was written by Alice and Neil Gaimen ('Sandman') and drawn by Mike Zulli, with covers by Dave McKean ('Sandman'). The second two issues were originally planned to be released with the second two singles from the album but this never happened. They eventually emerged via normal comic outlets although it took some considerable time for the last issue to appear.
There are two different covers to issue one. The first (left) features artwork by Zulli and was included with the album. The second featured cover art by Dave McKean and was available through comic shops.
Alice and Neil Gaiman appeared in person at London's Forbidden Planet' comic shop to sign copies of the comic and do interviews. Unfortunately due to an almost complete lack of advertising it wasn't well attended.
Marvel comics also released a trade paperback comprising all three issues of the comic with some additional text and illustrations called 'The Compleat Alice Cooper'. There were advertisement for a special version of 'The Compleat Alice Cooper' which was to have a black velvet hardback cover and come with a 'The Last Temptation' CD but this was never actually released.
Dark Horse Comics released another collected version of the three comics in both hardback and paperback, and in 2014 Dynamite Comics released yet another new edition.
The three original 'The Last Temptation' Marvel comics
The three collected reprints: Dark Horse Comics, Marvel, and Dynamite Comics editions.
In February 2002 Norwegian comic 'Nemi' featured Alice (also published in Sweden), and also included a handwritten note from him. In the book, Alice is represented by the Showman character from 'The Last Temptation'. There is a brief appearance in a later issue as well. 'Nemi' is written and drawn by Lise Myhre and features a goth teenager, frequently featuring the goth/heavy metal subculture amongst it's themes.
Alice appears, after a fashion, in 'Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark' #94 from Claypool Comics, in a story called 'Goth Sides Now!' In it, Elvira finds herself performing in rock star Malice Spooker's stage show as a virgin sacrifice. The character was due to reappear in early 2005 in the same comic.
In October 2004, Bongo Comics released 'Bart Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror' #10, which featured a story plotted and featuring Alice recalling a strange event from Homer's childhood coming back to haunt him.
In September 2014 Dynamite Comics began what was intended to be an ongoing Alice Cooper comic series (6 issues were released) written by Joe Harris with art by Eman Casallos and covers by David Mack. The first issue came in three versions, and art cover, a photo cover and a very expensive limited edition version signed by Alice. Issue 2 and 3 also had alternate covers.
A Trade Paperback collection was released
in 2015 entitled 'Welcome To My Nightmare' and using the issue 1 standard cover art.
The original promotional text:
"'The X-Files' Joe Harris takes on The Prince of Darkness – Alice Cooper in his FIRST ongoing comic series! Rock n' roll legend Alice Cooper was never a stranger to the mystic and the macabre. His stage shows were the stuff of legend, featuring snakes and pyrotechnics and the invocation of dark themes and darker forces. But while he was a legend in the waking world, few knew his role as "The Lord of Nightmares" beyond it, where he watched over us while we dreamed, and delivered horrors unto the deserving. Only someone took it all away from him, cast him out of his realm and locked him away... until now. And if he's going to reclaim his dark throne, he's going to need all the help he can get!"
Dynamite followed this series with a second run in 2015 called 'Alice Cooper Vs Chaos!' which featured Alice teamed with other characters in the Dynamite Comics universe. As with the original series there were alternate covers including different special 'live photo' covers of issue #1 for the New York and Baltimore Comic Conventions. A trade paperback collection was released on May 2016.
Issue One
Issue Two
Issue Three
Issue Four
Issue Five
Issue Six
Also in 2014, suspiciously coinciding with the Dynamite official Alice Cooper book, Bluewater Productions released a unofficial biographical Alice Cooper comic book, similar to the Rock and Roll comics idea. Written by Michael Frizell with art by Hashim, 'Orbit: Alice Cooper' featured, three collectable covers (two available from comicfleamarket.com), one by famed rock artist David Frizell.
In 2023 Dynamite Comics began a new Alice Cooper 5 issue mini-series [classified volume 2] writen by Rodney Barnes with art by Edu Menn. Each issue came with multiple cover art variants.
"Legendary rock acts are finding themselves attacked by demonic forces. The police investigate, but there's little to nothing they can do to stop the problem.
At the same time, Alice Cooper has a new album out and is in the midst of a promotional tour. It's great to see all his fans again, but there's a disturbing trend happening in every city – more and more of his audience appear to be undead! Complicating matters, when he goes to bed at night he ventures into the Nightmare Place. When he awakens, he's in another city standing before a throng of fans, where he meets the Archangel Gabriel.
Gabriel tells him there's a great music club called Burning Meat where the souls of legendary musicians hang out, watching the headliner – Lucifer – play his own personal style of rock music to the raucous applause of the demons in attendance. Now, Lucifer wants to take the show to Earth and the only thing stopping him is… Alice freakin' Cooper!"
Issue One
Issue Two
Issue Three
Issue Four
Issue Five
