Mixtape

Rewind to the 1990s with Ardden's new grunge-era series, Mixtape! When asked to escort cute (and interested) Adrienne to the end-of-summer bash, Jim Abbot's final year of high school is shaping up to be the best ever. But the unexpected return of unrequited love Siobhan to town forces Jim to choose between them, and the impact of that decision will be greater than he could ever imagine.

Each Mixtape issue is based on a song of the 90s, and is told from the point of view of one of the five main teenage characters. The lyrics inspire the story that unfolds and the first arc features: “Where Is My Mind?” by The Pixies, “Hold My Life” by The Replacements, “Happy When It Rains” by The Jesus and Mary Chain, “I’m An Adult Now” by The Pursuit of Happiness, “Every Day Is Like Sunday” by The Smiths and “Bed Of Roses” by The Screaming Trees.

Mixtape tells the story of the rise (and fall) of the Alternative Rock era of the 1990s as witnessed by five music-obsessed teens. Struggling through the pains of growing up, and united by their love of the music found “left of the dial”, Jim (the rebel), Terry (the geek), Noel (the prep), Lorelei (the bohemian), and Siobhan (the teen queen) move from high school into college life just as the music of Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth erupt from the underground and conquer the mainstream. They learn that the bond of friendship they thought would never break have already begun to crack, and the music they thought they'd love forever has already started to fade. They discover that everyone’s life, even theirs, has a soundtrack that will always be with them even as those songs and friendships fade.