Sgt Rock Comics
Athina Dollison
Rock 'N' Roll Comics was a comic book series published by Revolutionary Comics from 1989 to 1993. Revolutionary's flagship title, the series was notable for its unauthorized and unlicensed biographies of rock stars,[1] told in comic book form but well-researched and geared to adults, often with adult situations (nudity, drug use, violence, etc.).[2]
Some musicians featured in the comics, like Frank Zappa[3] and KISS, were supportive; while others, like the New Kids on the Block, considered the comic akin to a bootleg recording and sued the publisher. Publisher Todd Loren's legal victory in the U.S. District Court established that unauthorized comic book biographies were entitled to the same protections as other unauthorized biographies.
Rock 'N' Roll Comics originally contained straight biographies in comics form and Mad magazine-style parodies (all written by Loren). The parodies were dropped after about 18 issues. Early issues also featured the Loren/Larry Nadolsky character Stan Back in a series of humorous one-page strips. Loren wrote many of the early lead stories; Jay Allen Sanford took over as lead writer with issue #22.[2] The stories were illustrated by a grab-bag of artists without many other credits in the industry.[1]
Revolutionary Comics publisher Todd Loren was inspired to launch Rock 'N' Roll Comics in part by the success of an unauthorized Bruce Springsteen parody one-shot comic called Hey Boss (Visionary Graphics, 1986).[citation needed]
Hey Boss artist Larry Nadolsky was hired to draw the first issue of Rock 'N' Roll Comics, profiling Guns N' Roses. Upon the comic's release, cover-dated June 1989, Guns N' Roses lawyer Peter Paterno sent Revolutionary a cease and desist order. This was reported in a Rolling Stone story[4] that directly resulted in the entire 10,000-copy print run selling out in two weeks, thanks to buyers who thought Guns N' Roses would sue Revolutionary Comics out of existence. In actuality, no lawsuits were ever filed, and the comic went into multiple new printings, eventually totaling over 150,000 copies.[2]
Rock 'N' Roll Comics #3 and #4, on Bon Jovi and Mtley Cre, respectively (cover-dated Sept. 1989 and Oct. 1989), did result in legal challenges. Both bands had exclusive merchandising deals with Great Southern Productions/[5]Winterland Productions, which threatened comics distributors over carrying the issues and got a court injunction prohibiting Revolutionary from distributing them.[6] This forced Revolutionary to build its own distribution network outside traditional comic shops, eventually getting them into music and gift retail outlets which had never carried comics before. This independence from the comic book marketplace served the company well, as sales continued to rise from issue to issue, with their Metallica comic going into multiple print runs totaling over 75,000 copies.[7]
Issue #12 (cover-dated June 1990), featuring New Kids on the Block, resulted in a number of legal battles. (see: Litigation, below) Ironically, this and the other lawsuits garnered Revolutionary worldwide press, eventually resulting in record-breaking sales for an indie comic publisher.[8]
In September 2009, 15 years after the demise of Revolutionary Comics, publisher Bluewater Productions announced it would be reprinting Revolutionary's line of music comics (including stories from Rock 'N' Roll Comics) in ten monthly volumes, averaging 250 pages each.[10] The first collections were The Beatles Experience and Hard Rock Heroes, released in early 2010.
Many of Revolutionary's original creators participated in updating and modernizing the contents of the musical comic bios. The reprints and updates were supervised by long-time Rock 'N' Roll Comics writer/editor Jay Allen Sanford. Ultimately, Bluewater released seven titles from 2010 to 2012:[11]
Rock 'N' Roll Comics #12 (cover-date June 1990), an unauthorized biography of New Kids on the Block, resulted in Revolutionary being sued again.[3] Publisher Loren claimed the First Amendment protected the journalistic rights of his "illustrated articles" and he took the matter to the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Rhoades' ruling also stated "It appears that the First Amendment may trump any claim that the plaintiffs have for trademark infringement." The resultant order stated that Winterland Concessions Co. failed to show that the case met the standards required to issue a preliminary injunction. This dissolved the temporary restraining order prohibiting distribution. Nonetheless, the New Kids responded by filing suit for trademark infringement since their logo appeared in the comic.[12] A settlement between the New Kids and Revolutionary was reached in August 1990. It permanently enjoined Revolutionary from "advertising, manufacturing, distributing and/or selling or otherwise commercially exploiting any publication displaying the trademark and/or logo of the New Kids on the Block, either as a group or individually." Loren promptly reprinted the New Kids story in magazine format (Rock 'N' Roll Comics Magazine), without depicting the band's logo anywhere in the story.
In 2005, BulletProof Film released a documentary film titled Unauthorized and Proud of It: Todd Loren's Rock 'N' Roll Comics. The film features interviews with Loren's family, surviving "Revolutionaries," comic book colleagues, adversaries, supporters and past and present rock 'n' roll stars featured in Revolutionary's comics. Appearing in the film are Alice Cooper, publishers Gary Groth (Fantagraphics) and Denis Kitchen (Kitchen Sink Press), famed groupie Cynthia Plaster Caster, underground painter and RevCom cover artist Robert Williams (known for his controversial album art for the first Guns N' Roses LP), Jay Allen Sanford, Gene Simmons (audio only), and more.
The film also details the San Diego police department's investigation into Todd Loren's 1992 murder; interviews with Loren's coworkers and family members suggest that the police failed to follow up on all available leads. The film was released on DVD in April 2012 by Wild Eye Releasing, under the title Unauthorized: The Story of Rock 'N' Roll Comics. The DVD includes over two hours of bonus footage, interviews, news footage, and art galleries, and liner notes by long-time Rock 'N' Roll Comics writer-editor Jay Allen Sanford.
I was never interested in girlie comics when I was a kid. Sgt. Rock and Easy Company captured my attention. I never had a lot of spare change, so I only acquired a few of the series, but the Sarge was definitely one of my childhood heroes.
In 1985, Star Comics, a division of Marvel Comics, began a comic book series based on the Fraggle Rock TV show. The series lasted only 8 issues, ending in 1986. The first two issues featured original stories, while adaptations of plots from the TV series were used from issue three onwards. The titles of the adapted stories were often changed, along with some minor plot and story details.
Stan Kay wrote all eight issues, and all of the artwork was drawn by Marie Severin (with the exception of the cover art of issue 1). Severin would go on to draw the two page Fraggle Rock comics found in later issues of Muppet Magazine.
In this original story Gobo ends up stealing a metronome from Doc's workshop. The device gets stuck in the 'on' position and begins going faster and faster, causing the Fraggles and Doozers to also move (and work) at increasing speeds.
After performing the "greatest dive of all time", Red claims to be "number one" at everything possible, and her ego begins to get the best of her. Gobo brings back a collapsible top hat from Doc's workshop and Red uses it to hide from herself from "all her fans".
Members of California garage bands come together to form Motley Crue, who become famous for their MTV-friendly version of hard rock, as well as their offstage shenanigans. Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Greg Fox. Mature Readers.Cover price $2.50.
Members of the bands Psi-Com and Disaster join forces to become the iconoclastic rock band Janes Addiction, battling censorship as a new conservatism grips America, and founding the influential Lollapalooza concert events. Written by Spike Steffenhagen, with art by Scott Pentzer. Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Greg Fox. Mature Readers.Cover price $2.50.
The Seattle rock band Nirvana changes the sound of American rock by helping to establish the grunge movement. This comic doesnt cover founder Kurt Cobains death, which happened two years later. Written by Spike Steffenhagen, with art by Scott Pentzer. Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Pentzer. Mature Readers.Cover price $2.50.
Direct Edition (contains mature language). Tales from the Tours. Rock legends KISS share stories of some of the wilder events from their concerts. Produced with the bands cooperation, unlike most issues of the series. Written by Spike Steffenhagen, with art by Scott Pentzer. Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Pentzer. Mature Readers.Cover price $2.50.
Newsstand Edition (edited language). Tales from the Tours. Rock legends KISS share stories of some of the wilder events from their concerts. Produced with the bands cooperation, unlike most issues of the series. Written by Spike Steffenhagen, with art by Scott Pentzer. Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Pentzer. Mature Readers.Cover price $2.50.
British schoolboys form a hard-rock band during the heyday of punk music, and despite internal strife, go on to become one of the top-selling musical acts of all time. Written by Spike Steffenhagen, with art by Hector Diaz. Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Diaz. Mature Readers.Cover price $2.50.
Funk rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers take a unique sound into musical stardom, despite controversy over their unorthodox outfits and stage performances. Written by Spike Steffenhagen, with art by Marshall Ross. Black and white; 32 pages. Cover by Scott Jackson. Mature Readers.Cover price $2.50.
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