Phonogram #1 (Gillen / McKelvie, Image)

It’s finally here! I’ve been banging on about this comic ever since I read the preview back in May and it’s been sitting there in my subscription, waiting to be purchased and read for most of last month. And it’s bloody good. I admit that any comic which quotes the Best Band In The Entire World not once, but twice, was always going to get a thumbs-up here, but Phonogram more than lives up to the promise of that ten-page online preview.

This first issue is mainly setup - phonomancer David Kohl (part John Constantine, part Johnny Cigarettes) goes to a gig, runs into a lady from his past who he’d really rather not see and is tasked with helping her – but what a setup it is, especially if you happen to have lived through British music in the 90s and weathered the thing they called Britpop. A meditation on the pop-perfection of Kenickie, a butchering of Kula Shaker and a Glossary to explain it all to the septics. Marvellous.

Oh, and I must make special mention of the cover, a note-perfect pastiche of the cover to Elastica’s eponymous debut album. From what I’ve seen on the Phonogram blog, future covers will include takes on notable albums from Black Grape, Oasis, Blur and Suede.

Posted on 09.06.06 to with pictures. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 2 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.