This post continues from my Comics that Rock (here). I ended with the late 1960s and the guest appearances of rock and pop singers and bands in mainstream comics. This trend, of course, continued into the 1970s and beyond.
1970s Glam Rock in Comics
Ignoring the various music comics that had a basis in established television, like The Partridge Family (the comic of the same name, from Charlton, was connected to the show and band) it was at the beginning of the 1970s that we saw psychedelia make way for blues-based rock on the one hand, and more polished and slickly produced music, on the other. In this world of arena-rock and before the disco and punk explosions, big name concert acts were the most influential movers and shakers on the music scene.
Moreover, the bands that really stood out in the early seventies were not the sixties left-overs but the new glam rockers who attempted to cultivate a performance-based musical experience. David Bowie comes to mind, but also groups like Alice Cooper and Kiss. Marvel, in fact, produced a highly collectible Alice Cooper comic in 1979.
Marvel Premiere #50 (October 1979) – First Appearance of Alice Cooper in Comics
Alice Cooper is well known as a rock singer, but he also became a comic book character in this Marvel comic. A certified 9.8 has a FMV of $220.00.
Howard the Duck #12 (May 1977) – First Kiss in Comics (Cameo)
Kiss is a whole other story. Not many people know that Gene Simmons (bassist for Kiss) is a huge comics fan. But you can find that out easily enough online (for example see here). Simmons is also longtime friends with comic writer Marv Wolfman, and after the success of his band he managed to convince Marvel to feature Kiss in this issue of Howard the Duck. This issue is actually one of the more valuable in the run. Current FMV in 9.8 graded condition is $100.00.
Marvel Comics Super Special (Magazine) #1 (September 1977) – Printed in real Kiss blood!
The Kiss-Marvel connection didn’t stop with Howard. According to Gene Simmons, Kiss took a lot of their look from Marvel comics characters like the Inhumans. The ‘Kiss Nation’ gimmick they used to corral their fans, on its surface, also had a lot in common with Stan Lee’s ‘Merry Marvel Marching Society’ club. But to show how serious they took their fans, at one point they donated their blood to ink this special Marvel comic (this was pre-AIDS epidemic). I’ve heard of bleeding hearts but this is ridiculous. Still this comic has a certified 9.8 FMV of over $1,000.00- yup, you read that right.
1970s Punk Rock in Comics
Weird Tales of the Ramones #53 & 3rd Endless Vacation Issue
The Ramones, the godfathers of Punk Rock, were like a comic book in the sense that the themes of their songs were almost cartoon like in their absurdity, plus they cultivated an image that could have been drawn directly from Mad Magazine.
Not surprisingly it was to comics, and more precisely EC classic horror, that they turned when they solicited cartoonist Rick Altergott to write this rare comic book about the band.
This comic was later packaged with an Anthology of Ramones music that comes with three CDs (released in 2005), but the comic alone is hard to find in the wild.
1980s – Rock n’ Roll and Heavy Metal
Captain America #327 (March 1987) – First Willie Nelson Cameo in Marvel Comics
Featuring the fictional ‘Ameri-Aid’ Benefit Concert this comic mentions: Run DMC, Madonna, Mick Jagger and the Stones, the Talking Heads, etc. but it gives country music legend Willie Nelson a cameo appearance. Well, country music is music too, and when it comes to Marvel the less we say about their Billy Ray Cyrus comic, the better for everyone. Seriously, much better for everyone.
Heavy Metal Magazine #5 (August 1981) – First Taarna
Then there was heavy metal. The real driver of the nexus between rock and comics in the 1980s was Heavy Metal Magazine. First published in 1975, not only did this magazine reprint European comics but it inspired an animated movie with a hard rock-laden soundtrack. The heroine of the movie, Taarna, first crossed over into comics in Heavy Metal Magazine #5. Not enough sales data to go on regarding value, but what a great cover.
The 90s and Beyond
Gorillaz is the most successful virtual band, even beating out The Archies. Their 2001 debut album, Gorillaz, has sold more than six million copies. Created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the creators of the comic Tank Girl, Gorillaz are still around and their tour dates can be found on their website (https://www.gorillaz.com/).
That concludes this installment of Comics that Rock. There’s actually plenty more rock comics out there, you just have to look for them.
