In 1990, powerpop band Cheap Trick released a new album entitled Busted, and they partnered with Marvel to release a comic as part of their publicity campaign. A promo-only item, it’s an eight-page black and white pamphlet that tells the…
Author: Patrick A. Reed
BETTY: live at Joe’s Pub, 12/20/2011
With 25 years, a half-dozen albums, uncountable world tours, and a number of successful TV themes under their collective belts, BETTY are an institution of indie music. They’ve cultivated a devoted and passionate fanbase over the years, and their holiday…
Pop Music Comics: The 90s, part three. Roger Corman & The Melvins, and more KISS
The 1990s was a boom period for rock & roll music. The success of Nirvana was followed by a glut of records from ‘next big things’, and record companies were signing rock bands left and right. Indie acts that had…
The Jungle Brothers: Live at SOB’s, 2/7/2012
On the evening of February 7th, The Jungle Brothers took the stage at SOB’s in lower Manhattan. It was their first gig in six years, their first since 1997 with all three original members, and a historic evening for any…
Single Review: Dzian!- “Gong Xi, We Are Happy”
Sometimes, there’s a band that seems almost too good to be true. And Dzian! are exactly that, a group making music so thrilling and infectious that I want to play it for everyone I know. They’re an ensemble that exhume…
Old Weird Comics: Walt Disney’s Space Age
In the 1950s, Walt Disney’s empire grew hugely, expanding into records, live action films, nature documentaries, children’s magazines, theme parks, and (possibly most importantly) the emerging medium of television. The Disneyland TV show launched in 1954, and played a huge…
Pop Music Comics: The 90s, part two. Prince.
In 1989, DC Comics formed a new imprint for experimental and avant-garde titles. Piranha Press only lasted a few years, but their impact is still being felt today. They gave a home to creator-owned works, the edgy and unusual, and along the way…
Record Reviews: Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Surf-And-Roadster-Rock Trilogy
In the early 1960s, surf and hot-rod music was all the rage. The Beach Boys ruled the pop charts, with The Ventures, Jan & Dean, The Surfaris, and The Chantays close behind, notching up hit singles by the dozens. The…
Comic Reviews: Wonder Woman, Legion Of Monsters, The Shade
Wonder Woman, issues 1-3 (DC Comics, 2011) Blood. Guts. Intrigue. Meticulous storytelling. Betrayal. Fights. And lots of hairpin plot twists. After three issues, Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang’s new Wonder Woman is a rousing success on every level. Azzarello’s writing…
Comic Review: Sacrifice #1 (self-published, 2011)
Sacrifice is a new self-published comic from artist Dalton Rose and writer Sam Humphries (recently acclaimed for his work on Our Love Is Real). It’s the story of a young man who suffers from epilepsy and has a penchant…