Music is magic.
Just ask any writer of Biff Bam Pop! Heck, ask just about any reader that frequents these digital pages. This site has a love for pop culture, sure, but there’s an underlying need and desire to listen, to read about, and to share favourite music.
Ask Andy Burns, Editor-In-Chief of Biff Bam Pop! and his ever-lasting love of prog-rockers, Yes. And yes, he was there in New York City last weekend when Yes finally entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Ask Less Lee Moor, resident Managing Editor of this site as well as the Editor-In-Chief of Popshifter. Besides sharing her enthusiasm for all things music in her regular Pump Up The Jam column here on BBP!, you’ll find that she often waxes lovingly for Richard Oakes-era Suede on social media.
Ask me about my love of Modern Life Is Rubbish-era Blur and the gothic-punk brilliance of the Manic Street Preachers seminal Holy Bible album.
These are the bands, this is the music, that we all grew up with – specifically through our formative years.
And that bit of musical magic brings us straight to the excitement of The Complete Phonogram Hardcover, released today.
The Complete Phonogram HC
Written By: Kieron Gillen
Illustrated By: Jamie McKelvie
Published By: Image Comics
Phonogram, the comic book series, began monthly publication during the summer of 2006. Much like all great music acts, the series survived through three different arcs of stories. Volume 1: Rue Britannia lasted six issues. Volume 2: The Single’s Club ran for seven issues. Volume 3: The Immaterial Girl was published over six monthly issues and ended the Phonogram series in early 2016.
So, what makes Phonogram so magical?
Written by Brits, Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Journey into Mystery, Uber) and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie (The Wicked + The Divine, Young Avengers), Phonogram is the literal story of music as magic, where the world is rife with phonomancers! The first issue, like the first track of a timeless album, sets the stage: the Britpop Mod-goddess, Brittania, is missing – and David Kohl, a phonomancer, must unearth that mystery and find her. It’s a story which isn’t that dissimilar to Britpop finding musical relevancy after the rise of American Grunge in the early 1990’s!
Britpop, and music, is at the forefront of every issue of Phonogram. The covers themselves harken the album art of some of the greatest pieces of music during the 1990’s. The first issue features an homage to Elastica’s self-titled debut album while other issue covers give reverence to Black Grape’s It’s Great When You’re Straight…Yeah, Oasis’ Definitely Maybe, Pulp’s This Is Hardcore, as well as covers from TV On The Radio, Duran Duran, A-Ha, Blur, Manic Street Preachers…and Suede (Lee Lee Moore!)
At 504-pages, The Complete Phonogram Hardcover is the first time all three volumes of the series have been collected into one, very handsome, release. It’s like having a “Best Of” where the “Best Of” is a complete band discography. A glossary of obscure phrases and pop culture references, musings on the history of Britpop and influences on the series is also included in the hardcover.
Music is most certainly magic.
And if you love music, comics and/or pop culture, make the run to your local comic book store and pick up The Complete Phonogram Hardcover today!
Reblogged this on JP Fallavollita.