Rock Comix - Rock 'n' Roll In Comic Form (1990)

As a little departure from the music that I post on the blog, here are some rock-based comics that I've collected over the years. In many ways comic books and rock and roll have been natural bedfellows, with both having cultivated their own youth subcultures and underground followings. In 1976 Jethro Tull released their 'Too Old To Rock 'n Roll: Too Young To Die' album, which featured a gatefold sleeve including a comic strip by DC Comic's Dave Gibbons, but the first band to really harness the medium was KISS, and little wonder as they were pretty much a cartoon parody of a band anyway. In 1977 they made an appearance in issue 12 of 'Howard The Duck', before bagging their own title later that year, with a 40-page Super Special presenting the band as superheroes in their own adventure, battling Dr. Doom. Being KISS, they had to go over the top, and so each member of the band had some blood drawn by a nurse, and this was mixed with the ink used to print the first run of the issue, making these copies now very collectable. Not far behind was another artist who included theatricality and horror in his shows, and so in 1979 Alice Cooper made his first comic book appearance in a tale loosely based on his album 'From The Inside'. Cooper was involved with the creation of the script, which included characters who were subject of some of the album's songs, such as Nurse Rozetta, Millie And Billie, and Jackknife Johnny. 

'Rock 'N' Roll Comics' launched in 1989, and was a comic book series published by Revolutionary Comics, which was notable for its unauthorized and unlicensed biographies of rock stars, told in comic book form but well-researched and geared to adults, often with adult situations (nudity, drug use, violence, etc.). Some musicians featured in the comics, like Frank Zappa and Kiss, were supportive; while others, like the New Kids On The Block, considered the comic akin to a bootleg recording and sued the publisher. Publisher Todd Loren's legal victory in the U.S. District Court established that unauthorized comic book biographies were entitled to the same protections as other unauthorized biographies. In 1990 Led Zeppelin were the subject of one of their titles, and it also included a 'mini-comic' titled 'Crossroad', based on the legendary Robert Johnson story of his bargain with the Devil. Despite all these artists featuring in comic books in the 70's and 80's, they weren't the first band to get their own comic book, and of course that accolade has to go to The Beatles, who featured in the comic book adaptation of their 'Yellow Submarine' film in 1968. So dig out some music by these artists and settle back to read these comics based on their lives and adventures.

Track listing

01 KISS - Marvel Comics Super Special Part 1

02 KISS - Marvel Comics Super Special Part 2

03 A KISS History

04 Alice Cooper - From The Inside

05 Led Zeppelin - Rock 'N' Roll Comics

06 Led Zeppelin - The Story Of A Legend

07 Crossroad

08 The Beatles - Yellow Submarine

Soulseek hint - comix