Musical discoveries coming by way of reading comics.

[Buried Alien]

Most likely, you are reading and/or posting at this particular forum because you have in interest in both music and comic books. There are a number of songs whose lyrics refer to comic books, and there are a number of comic books that depict musical subjects.

Has anyone had the experience, however, of discovering a musical performer because of reading a comic book story?

I discovered Elvis Costello and his music by reading a MARVEL TEAM-UP ANNUAL from the year 1980. It was an issue that featured Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight, and Power Man and Iron Fist against the Kingpin and Kilgrave the Purple Man. At the beginning of the story, the Purple Man used his mind-altering abilities to get Spidey to recite some lines from Shakespeare. Spidey, however, who wasn't too up on Shakespeare, asked the Purple Man if he could sing an Elvis Costello song instead. Kilgrave consented, and Spidey began to sing "Oliver's Army."

Years and years later, when I was old enough to start buying records, I bought an Elvis Costello compilation that included "Oliver's Army." I was not disappointed.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[howyadoin]

The only music I discovered through comics was Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero.

[Ilash]

Nope. But I've never really noticed much in the way of music references in comics.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Will I sound like too much of a snob if I say that one of my guides to ragtime and other early-twentieth-century music was Chris Ware? (He even publishes a journal, The Rag Time Ephemeralist (http://home.earthlink.net/~ephemeralist/), about the stuff.) And a book collecting Harvey Pekar/R. Crumb collaborations first informed me about Robert Johnson and other early blues and jazz musicians they love.

Aside from that, I can't really think of much. Comics and music have mostly been separate tracks for me. Although someday I'm going to have to check out the Aquabats, just because of Evan Dorkin.

[PanzerMega]

I don't think I've ever got into a band through comics, but Preacher turned me onto Bill Hicks. That was pretty cool.

[leonaozaki]

Blue Monday turned me on to the Jam.

Watchmen deepened my obsession with Dylan and Elvis Costello -- because at the time I read the comic, I was becoming a Dylan and Costello fanatic but hadn't yet heard the specific songs referenced in the comic. But after reading Watchmen I really wanted to hear "Desolation Row" and "All Along the Watchtower."

The Crow turned me on to Joy Division and to a lesser extent the Cure.

rob

[Jonathan Bogart]

Blue Monday turned me on to the Jam.
Oh, yeah. Blue Monday helped me get into Britpop, too.

[Valmore]

The only manga I read, Oh My Goddess, introduced me to Matthew Sweet. It appears he has a huge following there and the creator of the book is a big fan.

[mattx110]

didn't one of the vertigo books feature quotes from REM?

i can't think of any music i got from comics...
maybe these guys, but i didn't actually read keith's stuff though i encourage all of you to do so.
http://www.marginalprophets.com/
i was such a learned boy i didn't need no robert crumb trading card to tell me who big bill broonzy or rev. gary davis was...
though his son house short comic thing is pretty good/depressing.

actually not a big fan of crumb... but he's one of the only cartoonists people have heard of so sometimes i just smile and say "Sure" or make a sarcastic comment about him. his music is better than the cartooning;)
spiderman went to a rock concert before he fought a pawn of dormammu... other than that i can't think of anything. there's not enough mix between comics and music. although i think there might be a trend for pencillers to be guitarists and inkers to be bassists that i'd like to do a sociological study on.

[berk]

I was already a fan of the Who, but when I saw Tommy referenced in a Steve Gerber written Daredevil story it increased my determination to save up and buy the album. I don't remember which issue it was, or much about the story, but I think Matt Murdock was at some high-class function where someone asked him if he listened to opera, and Murdock recommended Tommy, "very avant-garde."

[Ilash]

Watchmen deepened my obsession with Dylan and Elvis Costello -- because at the time I read the comic, I was becoming a Dylan and Costello fanatic but hadn't yet heard the specific songs referenced in the comic. But after reading Watchmen I really wanted to hear "Desolation Row" and "All Along the Watchtower."

rob

Oh, that's actually a good example. Me too.