10) KISS the comic book
They put their blood in the ink. Whether you like Kiss or not they pretty much had to make the list.
9) Josie and the Pussycats
Straight from the pages of Archie Comics, Josie and the Pussycats are a classic example of music in comics. Archie already had a band (Remember Sugar Sugar), they didn't actually need to create an all new band... But they did. And thus the world was introduced to Josie and the Pussycats. They spawned a comic series, a TV show, band and very under-rated movie starring Rachel Lee Cooke. But surprisingly, they never did climb the charts like the Archies.
8) R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz, and Country
Pretty much everyone in the comic book community knows R. Crumb as one of the original and quintessential alternative comic book creators. And as a longtime music fan Crumb has often found ways to integrate the two, including fronting his own band. For those of you who haven't heard R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders, do yourself a favor and look them up.
7) 110Per Cent
The pull quote on the back of the book pretty much sums it up. "In much the same way that Alan Moore's Watchmen is the final word in modern superheroes, Tony Consiglio's 110Per Cent closes the book on the entire middle-aged-housewives-obsessed-with-boybands genre."
6) The Umbrella Academy
Whether you liked My Chemical Romance or not, there was no denying that Gerard Way came up with something really special when he wrote The Umbrella Academy. And though the celebrity comic book writer has become somewhat of a failed gimmick as of late (*ahem*) Mayhem (*ahem*), Way truly earned the credit he got for this book
5) Tricked
One of the many interwoven story lines in this book is of a washed-up musician trying to make a comeback. It's a great story of the pressure to create and what it can do to a fragile ego, but what's more impressive is the depth Alex Robinson went to in creating an entire musicology for the book. Every band, label, song, lyric that appeared was an original.
4) Freddy and Me
Creator Mike Dawson chronicles his life through the music of Queen. And what sounds like a very odd concept for a graphic novel is actually an amazingly executed autobiographic comic that turns one boy's love of Queen into a really thought provoking and interesting take on the idea of personal history.
3) The Amazing Joy Buzzards
A lot of people have tried to make comics about adventuring rock bands, but hand down none are better executed than The Amazing Joy Buzzards. Dan Hipp's artwork manages to capture the energy and excitement of a rock concert on every page, while Mark Andrew Smith's writing is hands down some of the most fun out there.
2) Scott Pilgrim
The story of a hapless bass player for a crappy garage band fighting to win a girls heart, Scott Pilgrim is as much as homage to the Canadian indie music scene as it is to comics, video games, and pop culture. Plus creator Brian Lee O'Malley has recorded some pretty great music himself under the name Kupek.
1) Phonogram
Not only is this a wonderful use of music in comics, but it's also just an amazing concept in general. Who hasn't heard a song that changed them, made them feel something deep down, a song that just spoke to them on some deep and personal level. There's no denying that music has a sort of power to it. Music is magical, and nowhere is that more perfectly portrayed than in Phonogram.
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