Image Comics has a well-earned reputation as a home for both mainstream superhero titles and artist-driven alternative works, and over the past decade have published some of the most exciting and enjoyable comics I’ve run across. Many of these have utilized the vocabulary of pop music, either as subject matter or general atmospheric element. Two particularly fine examples were launched in the last year, and are now available in collected form…
Twenty-Seven is a book that uses music for setting and atmosphere, but then spins off in a million bizarre directions. Rock stardom is the catalyst for the tale, not the driving force; numerology, entertainment industry politics, the afterlife, and cults of celebrity are just a few of the elements that direct the course of the story. The lead character is a successful musician with a nerve disorder that has crippled his hand and left him unable to play guitar. His quest for a cure leads to a mad scientist with a sideline in black magic, and from there, all manner of craziness ensues. The story winds through small dingy clubs, a hostage situation, supernatural encounters with deceased musical icons and minor deities. They’re disparate strands, yet they combine to make a surprisingly cohesive story of one man’s artistic ambition and struggle for redemption. It’s stylish, fast-paced, rough around the edges… And like all the best rock and roll, it distills its influences into a completely individual vision.
Li’l Depressed Boy began life as a webcomic and has now reached full bloom, published regularly in pamphlet form. The title character is a small guy who looks like a ragdoll, but the oddness of that is never addressed and it somehow makes the book all the more personal and affecting. The story focuses on character over action, honestly depicting the sensations of friendship and music and falling in love, and where it all runs together. Favorite artists are namechecked, concerts are attended. The characters go record shopping, spend their time listening to and discussing albums, wear band t-shirts, breathe and live pop songs. Indie musicians make guest appearances (Kepi Ghoulie in issue one, LA girl group The Like in issue three), and sounds weave their way through the fabric of most every scene. Show flyers clutter up the backgrounds. Lyrics run through the panels. Silence serves as automatic punctuation, as the story winds its way through moments of melancholy and giddy happiness. It feels like real life, like growing up, and music is a constant and vital presence through it all.
Twenty-Seven (27) is written by Charles Soule, with interior artwork by Renzo Podesta and covers by W. Scott Forbes. One four-issue limited series has been released by Image Comics, and is now available in collected form as Twenty-Seven: The First Set. A second limited series is due to follow later this year.
Li’l Depressed Boy is an ongoing series from Image Comics, written by S. Steven Struble, with art by Sina Grace. The first trade paperback, collecting issues 1-4, is now available. Older material can be found at the LDB website.
All articles in the Pop Music Comics series can be found here.
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