Inspiration can come in many forms and the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach is currently inspired by an indie comic book named Murder Ballads. The rocker is hard at work on a soundtrack for the comic that's expected to surface this fall via Z2 Comics.

According to Z2 comics, Murder Ballads is a "rock 'n' roll noir story about the music and redemption." It centers on a down-on-his-luck record label owner named Nate Theodore who takes a trip to escape his problems, only to discover two African-American siblings who play a raucous brand of doom-laden country blues.

The comic is being penned by music journalist Gabe Soria and will be illustrated by Paul Reinwand. Murder Ballads is expected to arrive this fall around the same time that Auerbach's soundtrack will be released. According to Vulture, the rocker has secured Mick Collins of The Dirtbombs and The Gories for a guest spot as well.

Auerbach, who also fronts the Arcs, told Vulture of his introduction to Soria, "I wasn’t so much into comics, but where we kind of met up was on the music front. We were kind of addicted to records, and that’s how we bonded early on." After some discussion, things fell into place. "It was pretty fully formed in Gabe’s mind," said Auerbach. "The music that he was talking about seemed — well, I could wrap my mind around it. He knew I was really big into northern Mississippi music, so I understood the reference points when he was talking to me about it."

As for what fans can expect, the musician said it's "shorter than a double LP and longer than eight minutes." Stay tuned for further release details.

In other Auerbach related news, the singer recently found himself engrossed by the Netflix series Making a Murderer. In fact, he was so moved by watching it that he and his band the Arcs created a new song inspired by the series. For those unfamiliar, Making a Murderer is a documentary series based on the trial and conviction of two men in Wisconsin and the injustices in their case. The song is called "Lake Superior" and can be heard below. Proceeds from sales of the track will go to the Innocence Project, an organization that helps in the defense of those suspected of being wrongly convicted. Take a listen below.

The Arcs, "Lake Superior"

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