To the Stars......And Beyond

"The items in the car lifted up, weightless, and Alan’s umbrella became airborne. Jonas reached for it, determined not to let his brother’s hopes be ruined.  His fingers closed around the heavy wood handle just as the car suddenly sped up into real time and hit the ocean water, sending Jonas into darkness."

Above is an excerpt from the brand new book entitled, "Of Nightmares" by Thomas Delonge and Suzanne Young.  In fact, this recently released novel is the first in a trilogy that follows the young protagonist, Poet Anderson, through the ever-changing landscapes of the dream world.  Additionally, this story comes with a companion piece, a 4-song EP that is to be played in the background as the readers immerse themselves into the Poet Anderson adventure. 

What makes this release so significant, as well as inspiring, is the fact that it is one of many releases from Delonge's transmedia company, "To the Stars."  In fact, the Poet Anderson franchise has already seen a short animated feature, three graphic novels and is expected to have a "live-action" short film released within the coming months.  Consequently, Delonge has found minimal time for anything else, but he is more than ok with that.  The aforementioned projects seem to be only scratching the surface of Delonge's epic plans for future works, which he has been continuously hinting at via his Instagram and Twitter accounts. 

As an individual that has been incredibly inspired by Delonge's music since my middle school years, I am intrigued with the way he has been conducting himself when it comes to the business side of the industry.  Consequently, he has realized that the trend of transmedia projects is the future for many artistic groups due to their inherent value as well as tangible elements that seem to have disappeared since the digital revolution.  To be honest, I am very intrigued by the concept behind transmedia elements because it breathes new life into the music industry and allows fans to connect with art projects in different ways.  I sincerely hope more artists follow the lead of Delonge and start innovating the way they release their future albums.  I believe it allows fans to feel more of a connection to the music and provides them with hope as well as inspiration.

Perhaps groups like Kiss (Graphic Novels) and Pink Floyd ("The Wall" Movie) had it right all along?