Queen in Comics

Queen in Comics is a bit of a misnomer. From the title, I thought it was going to be an anthology of various times where the Freddie Mercury fronted band appeared in comic books and graphic novels. In reality, the book is split into 2 parts that alternate from sequential art form vignettes of the 50 year plus history of the band along with long form articles that dig deeper into the history of Queen as seen by a variety of artists.

Originally published in French in 2021, the comic segments were written by Emmanuel Marie. The text of the articles were by Sophie Blitman. I counted at least 18 different artists, presumably all French. None of the contributors are names I'm familiar with. 

A long time fan of Queen, I've seen several documentaries about the band. I have both Greatest Hits, Volume 1 and 2 memorized. Experienced their set at Live Aid, live from my cousin's house. I read a biography about Mercury and I saw Bohemian Rhapsody- in the theaters twice. So I have a fairly good knowledge of their history. Yet, I found myself learning some new facts and anecdotes about the group. Things like the near homicidal collaboration between Queen and David Bowie on what would become one of my all-time favorite songs, Under Pressure. I learned about Michael Jackson's influence on releasing Another One Bites the Dust into becoming Queen's best selling single in the US, as well as how Jacko's llama nearly scared Freddie to death during a recording session. Plus there was a lot of details on the solo careers of Brian May and Roger Taylor; two members of the quartet who often get overlooked despite still being the only original members of the band remaining and rocking to this day.

Learning some new facts about one of my favorite bands is not to say that some important segments of Queen's history weren't glossed over. Nowhere is there any mention of Queen's involvement in the 1980 Flash Gordon movie that bombed big time but has grown into a cult favorite. A lot is also made of Freddie's dying wish to spend his remaining days recording music with his mates. But important songs from this era like I'm Going Slightly Mad and Mother Love are omitted. 

Speaking of the dying wish of Freddie Mercury, in 1987, the singer was diagnosed with HIV which soon developed into AIDS. Just about every previous resource I have consumed on the history of Queen discusses Mercury's homosexuality and probable causes of where and how he may have contracted the disease. While Freddie being gay is mentioned as is his final relationship with hairdresser Jim Hutton covered, I felt like Queen in Comics decided that discretion was the better part of valor when it comes to the many excesses of Freddie Mercury. 

Publisher NBM Graphic Novels has several other music graphic novels in their coffers. Rock history lessons on Bowie, The Beatles and Michael Jackson have peaked my interest and I would not be opposed to reading and possibly owning those volumes in the future.

A really interesting read that changes narrative perspectives as well as art forms frequently, just like Queen. A bit of glam rock, some punk and bits of jazz and opera. Queen in Comics doesn't paint a complete picture of the band. But it does manage to capture the ever changing musical and cultural influences of these rock legends quite nicely.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 67

    Today marks the 40th anniversary of the band Foreigner's debut album. The self-titled LP featured a number of hits including Cold As Ice, Long, Long Way From Home, and their biggest smash Feels Like The First Time. 
   

The band in a 1977 promotion photo.

     The album went platinum five times in the States, selling over 5 million copies. Interesting enough, I always thought Foreigner was an American band. But they are actually from England! So they are Foreigner- well at least to everyone but those in the UK.

The back of the album.
Taken from a Japanese CD, circa 1994.

     Folks, I'm not really a ban of the band. I do like the song Cold As Ice. But if anyone is a fan of this group, it's my wife. She really likes that corporate rock jazz. I refer to it as Bart Simpson does in a very early episode of the Simpsons- Wuss Rock!

    Well, before I go and alienate all of my loyal readers who are devoted to the band Foreigner, let me leave you guys with a song or two from the album.

    Until Tomorrow...

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 35

   

    Fleetwood Mac- Rumours. 

    It's one of the biggest albums of all-time and it almost didn't get made. 

     Prior to this record, you had Mick Fleetwood on drums, spiraling into a dark depression and drug addiction after the discovery that his wife was having and affair. Singer Christine McVie and husband John McVie (bass) had divorced. Plus vocalist Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who were an on-again/ off-again couple, couldn't stop fighting. 
  
     On the verge of a complete break-up, the band realized that they were happiest when on stage or in the studio. So, the group immediately took to Sausalito's Record Plant in hopes of saving the group through song. The result was Rumours.

     The album had 11 tracks and just about every song was released by itself and considered a master hit. The first track, You Can Go Your Own Way hit radio waves in December of 1976 as a teaser for the forthcoming album. The idea worked because when Rumorus debuted two months later, it was an instant success.
 

Back Cover of Rumours.
Image is from a 1990s CD reissue.

     My mother loved Fleetwood Mac and she bought this album the day it dropped. A couple of weeks later, I was conceived, so I probably heard Rumours a million times before I was born in November. Interestingly enough, I really thought that the song Rhiannon was on this album. If I was born a girl, that was going to be the name my mom choose. But upon a recent review of this song I was astonished to learn that Rhiannon was from 1975's Fleetwood Mac. Huh!?

The band, 1977.

    Songbird is a hauntingly beautiful song to listen to, especially if you can hear it while viewing live-feed of the earth's rotation from the International Space Station.

    Second Hand News, which is a poppy song to get the blood flowing is the perfect tune to start this album and I also really love the very serene Never Going Back Again. It's the needed song for those pensive times in thought.
   
      As you can probably tell, I love this album. Rumours is the reason I started the A Madman Turns 40 project. I saw that it's 40th anniversary was coming up and it got me inspired to discover more about my favorite year in history. If you can check it out on iTunes of Youtube, you really should. It's a quintessential album that is considered nearly flawless not just by me but by hundreds of critics and music reviewers. And it's the main reason the band stuck in out for another 10 years according to Fleetwood, Nicks, and Buckingham. 

Rumours inner cover collage of the band during recording.

      So check it out. If not, well my friends, you'll only be going your own way...
     
      Worth Consuming

      Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 25

  As I plod along in the A Madman Turns 40 project, I'm listening to more music from 1977. Myself, I am not musically inclined but I like a lot of different stuff. My parents were the same way. Who knows, maybe some of the stuff I'm discovering from that year was stuff I was introduced to while in the womb...
   

  Today I'm looking at an album that dropped 40 years ago this week. I can't find the exact day. Some sites say January 25th (which is today) and some sources list it's debut on the 27th or 28th. The album I'm talking about is Santana's Festival.

    Festival was Santana's 8th studio album and it really feels like one. There's the rhythmic beats of drums, Latin jazz, smooth r&b, and scorching 70s glam rock guitar riffs all throughout this record. I'm not really a Santana fan but since I am trying to be very well-rounded in my exploration of 1977, I decided to give Festival a listen to in my class at the culinary school.

Carlos Santana in concert, 1977.

    For the most part, the students liked it. A couple were bopping along to the tune. Another student said it reminded her of her father who loved Santana. 

    For a couple of songs, I was reminded of Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man. Not the original composition but his 1973 remake that incorporated a style mixed of Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, and Cuba beats. Just with that song, some of Santana's compositions were both Cuban sounding and so very funky. 

Herbie Hancock's Headhunters.
The album has a similar vibe to Festival.

    Well, that's my look at 1977 for today. Santana's Festival can be found on Youtube, Amazon, and iTunes. If you are looking for a mix of Latin flavor with rock undertones and a popping Cuban beat, be sure to check this album out. 

Back Cover of Festival. 2-CD set re-release.

     Tune in tomorrow as this Madman will explore another piece of 1977 history.

     Worth Consuming

     Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury

While this is a biography of legendary Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury, a majority of this tome focuses on the band as a whole. That actually doesn’t bother me as I am a huge Queen fan and I’ve always wanted to read a history of the group.

Much is made of Mercury’s sexuality. But thankfully, it’s not full of very sordid details. I’m not questioning Freddie being gay nor am I being homophobic. It’s just that I remember trying to read Steven Tyler’s biography and giving up after chapter 2 because it read like a letter to Penthouse.

Strangely enough, what shocked me about Mercury’s sexuality was that he had several sexual relationships with women after coming to terms with being gay. Pretty much, Mercury was attracted to anything. If the earth had made contact with aliens, I think he would have tried to boink them too. It’s like he was omnisexual with strong homosexual preferences, very much like Torchwood’s Capt. Jack Harkness.

The book was very well written, though the Brit slang is sometimes hard to decipher. Also, there are several characters in this history of the same name that makes for some confusing reading as you try to get everyone’s role understood. I counted at least 4 of the singer’s associates with the first name of Peter.

Alas, this exhaustive recount of the superstar’s life, loves, music, and antics prove that there is only 1 Freddie Mercury.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.