Robert is no stranger to comics. He studied cartooning under Walter Simonson (The Mighty Thor) at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he attended on scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Best known for being the primary songwriter behind Life of Agony's critically acclaimed River Runs Red concept album, Robert is also an accomplished artist. His illustrations and designs have appeared on merchandise, ad campaigns and Web sites for multi-platinum rock acts such as 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown.

In Wire Hangers, which will debut with a 32-page, ad-free first issue, a series of abductions are plaguing New York, leaving no one safe. When Anna Davis, a feisty young female reporter, goes undercover to try and snag the big exclusive, she stumbles upon clues that give us a glimpse into what could be the most disturbing government conspiracy of our time. Pill-popping detectives, corrupt secret agents and a mysterious, disfigured homeless man are all inter-connected in this horrific tale of revenge and redemption.

Robert states, "I've wanted to tell this story for as long as I can remember. I came up with the Wire Hangers concept a few years back, when Life of Agony was on the road supporting Ozzy Osbourne. It has haunted me ever since! Whenever we were touring or in the recording studio, I would find myself sketching out characters on the back of lyric sheets and leaving myself voicemail messages with scene dialogue. By the time I presented the idea to IDW earlier this year, the story was completely fleshed out. Visually, it's dark and gritty with tons of textures and atmosphere. The artwork really sets a tone for the series and plays an equal part in telling the story.

"I really can't express how excited I am to finally see this idea come to life. I've been a huge comic book fan since I was just a kid and went to art college in the hopes of becoming a penciler one day. During my graduation year, LOA landed the record contract with Roadrunner to record River Runs Red and once it came out, I found myself touring full-time and focusing on my music career. So, for me, all these years later - to finally create my own original comic series is a dream come true. Releasing it through IDW is the icing on the cake. They've put out some of my favorite books, like 30 Days of Night and Welcome to Hoxford. It's a real honor to have Wire Hangers appear alongside those titles."

"Wire Hangers is going to hold its own up against the IDW titles that Alan has long admired," said Chris Ryall, IDW's Publisher/Editor-in-Chief. "When he brought me the story, both his storytelling sense and artistic skills were fully formed and ready to roll on a comic series. In much the same way Alan went from playing bass for one band to fronting another, his talents will be front and center on his comic, too."