Rock and roll conspiracies are at the forefront of this new, bold series from Joe Harris, Megan Hutchison, and Kelly Fitzpatrick. Read on for our review of this debut but be warned, there are some mild spoilers within.
Written by Joe Harris
Illustrated by Megan Hutchison and Kelly Fitzpatrick
SERIES PREMIERE! Fan-favorite JOE HARRIS (SNOWFALL, The X-Files) and mega-talented newcomer MEGAN HUTCHISON deliver a new ongoing series exploring rock ‘n’ roll’s untold mysteries and secrets! “NATIVITY IN BLACKLIGHT,” Part One When a pattern of unsolved “groupie” murders from the 1970s resumes in present-day Los Angeles, nobody makes the connection except Jackie Mayer, a rock nerd with a strange connection to music’s urban legends and lost history. Together with muckraking music writer Dorothy Buell, they soon uncover a vast conspiracy involving a legendary band, demonic possession, and sacrifices to the dark gods of rock.
Conspiracy theories exist in everything. On a bigger scale you have something like the Illuminati, but on a smaller scale, you have the semi true stories of the most famous people in rock and roll. Whether it’s subliminal messages in music when played backwards, Paul McCartney actually being dead all these years, or Elvis being alive, these theories exist and have been picked apart for years. “Rockstars” #1 takes all of that and introduces us to a world where all these things might not be so out there. “Rockstars” #1 has a great concept and it features some excellent, moody artwork.
“Rockstars” #1 introduces us to Jackie Mayer, a young man who sees himself as a bit of a DIY detective who’s obsessed with mysteries surrounding rock and roll. His current focal point are the deaths of two young women, Becky Albright and Suzanne Berrens: in the 1970’s, the two of them attended a Blue Rider concert and after party and both were never seen alive again. However, they weren’t the first to die, and now that these murders are starting again, Jackie believes there is something more happening here and decides to investigate for himself. When he gets to the scene of the crime, he meets Dorothy Buell, a music journalist, who’s thinking the same thing he is as she’s also investigating this murder.
What I like about “Rockstars” #1 is that it exists within all the well known conspiracy theories and mysteries that already exist. It doesn’t try to solve those, instead it presents something completely its own. Using that stuff as an inspiration and building a new world around it allows for readers to engage on a more direct level with the story being told. Joe Harris uses his experience writing “The X-Files” to his advantage here, as he plots a compelling murder mystery with a supernatural twist. The pacing here is great and, for a first issue, we get a ton of information. We aren’t just introduced to the concept in this issue; instead, we are invited to spend a lot of time in two different parts of this world.
Jackie and Dorothy are interesting characters together, but I’m far more interested in Dorothy. She’s the one with a little more pull in this world compared to Jackie, and it’s clear that this isn’t her first rodeo. She has the dialogue of someone who’s listened to too much classic rock but that’s kind of her charm. She has enough independent of Jackie that she’s not there to be his manic pixie dream girl or Penny Lane. They have a little bit of an awkward back and forth but as the issue goes on, Harris settles into writing their back and forths nicely.
Megan Hutchison’s art is, overall, good; the fashion for each character makes a lot of sense and her characters are expressive. The still unnamed woman in a top hat is a particular highlight of this. The crowd scenes are detailed just enough, but with a clear focus on the two doomed women. The onstage performances aren’t what you’d usually see. Instead of going for a pure musical vision, Hutchison creates images that remind me of actual posters and if we’re seeing this through the perspective of people in the crowd, this is a great route to go. She uses a lot of interesting angles to create a dizzying experience that pulls us in to what Becky and Suzanne are going through and it works but there are some proportion issues. In the present day, things are much more straight forward and a bit messier as Skid Row is not the place you want to be. There’s a lot of attention paid to detail here as there are cracks in walls, garbage all over the ground and a general sadness to the entire area.
Kelly Fitzpatrick really gets into the spirit of the time period by providing a beautiful grungy overtone in her color work. This whole issue feels like the grimy side of rock and roll. As Suzanne and Becky enter the party, there’s a little bit of glitz but it is so quickly washed out in a good way by the darker colors Fitzpatrick uses. They don’t get to experience the idealistic perfect, rock and roll party and visually that is represented even without us knowing what’s to come. There’s a muted looked to the clothing but the onstage performances really shine through her color work and the shifting time lines have their own look to ensure that transitions work.
Final Verdict: 8.2 – “Rockstars” #1 packs a lot in for a first issue and I’m excited to see how this story unfolds.
