Alan Robert (born 1971) is an American musician and comic book creator, known as the bassist for the alternative metal band Life of Agony, his work on his graphic novels Wire Hangers, Crawl to Me and Killogy, as well as his horror-themed adult coloring book series The Beauty of Horror.
Career
Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York's School of Visual Arts, where he studied cartooning under teacher Walter Simonson.
Music
Robert is credited as being one of the original members of the Brooklyn, NY-based band, Life of Agony, in 1989, and is the band's primary songwriter.
In 2006, Robert announced the creation of a punk rock band Spoiler NYC, which he formed with long-time friend, "Junkyard" Silletti and Tommy Clayton. The band released the full-length record Greasefire in Hell's Kitchen in 2008 and toured Europe with Life of Agony. Best known for their high-energy live shows which regularly feature dedications to their merchandise coordinator, Guy Bannister, Spoiler NYC released two songs in 2009.
In 2016, Robert and the other original members of Life of Agony announced they would be releasing their first new album in over eleven years, "A Place Where There's No More Pain" on Napalm Records. The album (the fifth release by Life of Agony) was released worldwide on April 28, 2017. The album debuted at No. 24 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart, and received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Kerrang, Revolver, and several other high-profile music reviewers. Alan, along with the rest of the band, announced several concerts in the United States and Europe to support the album.
Robert's band announced the release, in October 2019, of its sixth studio album The Sound of Scars on Napalm Records, which acts as "Chapter Two" to their classic debut River Runs Red. The concept album, hailed by Loudwire as one of the year's "Most Anticipated Hard Rock & Metal Albums", was produced & mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Sylvia Massy and co-produced by Joey Z. Howie Weinberg handled mastering duties.
On August 9, 2019, the hit single "Scars" premiered on Billboard the song went to the number 1 spot on Music Choice with 2.44 million listeners.
Comics work
Robert is currently active in the comic book industry, having first created a four-part horror/conspiracy miniseries, Wire Hangers, which he also wrote and illustrated. The series was published in 2010 by IDW Publishing.
The first issue of the comic series won ComicMonsters.com's 2010 Best Cover Award.
On March 29, 2011, Alan Robert announced a live action feature film version of the Wire Hangers graphic novel, which to be produced by Robert's production company, Wasted Talent Entertainment" in connection with Zam Entertainment.
Robert announced the four-issue miniseries, Crawl To Me, which was published by IDW Publishing, whose story follows a young family who are confronted with a series of disturbing events in their rural home. The first issue was released in July 2011.
The series won the Mini-Series of the Year from ComicMonsters.com and TheSickHouse.net's 2011 Golden Gore Award for Best Graphic Novel.
The first printing of Crawl To Me sold out within a week of its publication and a second printing was quickly announced. A hardcover version, titled Crawl to Me: Evil Edgar Edition was later released in various formats. At the same time, Robert announced that a full-length movie based on the graphic novel was in the works. Screenwriters T.J. Cimfel and David White signed on shortly afterwards to adapt a screenplay based on the property. In December 2012, IDW Limited released two limited-run hardcover versions of the comic series in a black and red label options, featuring original artwork by Alan Robert included within each package.
On December 29, 2011, Robert appeared on second series premiere of the TLC television show, NY Ink, in the episode "Kings of NY", in which he received a tattoo based on the cover art from the first issue of Crawl To Me.
In "Wolf and Cub", the February 9, 2012, episode of the CBS show Person of Interest, several IDW Publishing books and posters are featured on the set, including Alan's Crawl to Me, Wire Hangers and Killogy. A Crawl to Me poster painted by artist Menton3 was featured in a pivotal scene inside a comic book shop near the end of the episode. The graphic novel will be adapted in a full-length film produced by Robert and screenplay will re-written by David White and T.J. Cimfel.