We're celebrating 150 years of Brian Barnes today with a birthday boy salute about a creepy old rocker. Ummm, nuff said? Brian had initially requested a few other Skywald terror tales but I'll be damned if I can remember what they were, --so if this one doesn't make the 'ol amplifiers squeal, then I guess I'll try again in another 150 years! Yes, it's truly amazing how close that cover art not only predicted Brian's current physical appearance and fashion sense, but also his "no-strap" guitar playing style. Happy birthday, we're all looking forward to the feedback! From the June 1971 issue of Nightmare #4.
11 comments:
It is a good thing they called themselves 'The Decrepit Cord' since The Grateful Dead was already taken.
They say Rock n' Roll will never die, and this band proves it.
This story works well in black, white and shades of grey, I doubt coloring would have improved it.
Before I forget, again, Happy Birthday Brian, heres to another 150 years of horror comics fun.
I guess that Dorian Gray type portrait of yours was a better investment than Berkshire Hathaway shares.
One of the great things about tales of ghoulish rock stars is how close they get with references for the instruments. Apart from the missing strap, we've got a guitar with a trapeze tailpiece and f holes, not exactly demonic rock n' roll, maybe demonic Stray Cats!
The art here is great, it has a 70s ad art feel to it, all the tones and effects, and super heavy dark lines and shadows. You can't really do this well on color comics but you can do it to great effect on the B&W mags.
This is another tale where the ending is pretty obvious from page 1, but that's kind of the point. It's all the setup to the end -- Lala gets to spend 8 pages being an outright terrible person, earning her "thuk" ending.
BTW, one great thing about this story is -- other than Decrepit Chord as a band name -- is Roddy doesn't seem all that bad. I mean, he's a zombie and all, but Lala came of her own free will and he doesn't see to be doing anything but just being a rock star!
Thanks for the birthday shout out from my favorite blog and one of my favorite people!
This one always stood out to me. A Beauty and the Beast-esque story, except the beauty in question is a gold digger and the beast is an undead rock star. Lala does get some pretty funny lines in here. The best being "What did you do...fall in a meat grinder?" It's funny how long it takes Lala to finally recognize Roddy and his band as a group who all died in a witchcraft ceremony. Honestly, Roddy isn't that bad looking compared to a lot of exaggerated ugly guys usually shown in comics. Just a bit hauntingly lonely if anything. That last panel where he sings waiting for Lala's return from the dead is really good.
Happy Birthday
Lala might not be the first gold-digger character like this, but I like the way she goes back and forth from being completely determined to wondering what she's getting herself into.
Now that I think about it, this comic reminded me a bit of Psychomania/The Death Wheelers) where members of a motorcycle gang become the living dead, but retain their normal looking appearances.
It's interesting that the lion's share of this story follows Roddy's solo work in clubs and stuff, the rest of the band just twiddling their thumbs in the basement of the band crypt. Side note: It's nice that they were all buried together. Or is that them in the splash? But then how is it that Lala doesn't meet them till the end? Are they not all taking the private SST from hick town to hick town together?
Depictions of rock-n-rolling in comics is always a hoot. Same with movie making. It's fun to see how pop culture imagines these things to be. At least the guitars are plugged in this time. At least they also remembered that there probably aren't any outlets in the mausoleum.
I'm definitely interested in reading a sequel. I like this band's commitment to their gimmick. Dead band, dead manager, dead groupies. Now that all the main ingredients are in place, I want to read about the dead promoters, dead sound engineers, dead producers. I want to find about about the payola to dead DJs and the machinations of dead record execs and soundchecks with dead roadies and beers with the dead local opening acts. I want to see this thing go big: The dead teen fans and the dead parents who just don't get it.
Happy milestone birthday Brian Barnes! I think by one-fifty you get to refer to them as "jubilees"!
I feel like nearly the only one who's fond of Psychomania.
You are not alone, I always liked that film.
It is a unique British Horror film, though I think it resonates more with U K moviegoers than US viewers, such as the association of the frog with dark powers, the stonehenge type setting, etc. It is more of a local horror tale that only the locals really understand than non locals, though in this case the locals in question are the population of Great Britian.
Oh I love PSYCHOMANIA. I have the Arrow Blu-ray!
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