Phonogram Vol. 2

[Gitaroo_Dude]

So, anyone else pick up the second issue? Gotta say, this is easily the best value in comics right now. Gillen's backmatter is just a great read, both informative and entertaining. And the idea behind this issue and its ties to "magic" is so brilliant that I'm surprised no one else has thought of it. And I love how personal the whole thing feels. And I love McKelvie. And the guest artists. And everything about it. I'll stop now.

[KieronGillen]

Glad you dug it, sir. It's our favourite issue yet.

KG

[pariah-1972]

Reading it right now :smile: it's got a good vibe to it i liked the first issue as well.
It's nice to get away from the superhero stuff it's like a breath of fresh air.

[dtjunkie]

I love this series so far. I had read Suburban Glamour and loved McKelvie's art so after seeing how awesome Issue 1's cover looked I was halfway sold, and then the premise of one night from seven different perspectives got me the rest of the way.

I really enjoyed Issue 1, and despite the fact that I lean more towards hard rock than anything else I decided to hit up youtube and check out "Pull Shapes"

The first time I listened to it I thought oh man this sucks balls.

The second time it sounded pretty catchy.

By the fifth or sixth time I decided to check out some of their other songs. Approximately 15 minutes later I ordered their CD off Amazon. Flash forward to today and I can sing along with the whole CD word for word.

So this was the first funny book that ever sold me a CD. Crazy!

After that I went out and bought the first series TPB. I thought the first issue was outstanding, and the rest pretty good.

Anyways, I finally got Issue 2 a few days ago. For some reason my LCS failed to add it to my pull list so they had to order it for me. I really enjoyed this issue. The different perspective technique is one of my favorites and now we see that Marquis isn't quite the douchebag we all thought he was in Issue 1. I thought to myself, I don't remember this guy with a tear in his eye when he rejected my girl Penny B. I looked back and checked and sure enough, his back was to us the whole time. It was a good thing I looked back at Issue 1 cause David Kohl was right there... hadn't read the the first series the first time I read the issue. I guess my only complaint about Issue 2 is so far I haven't found anyone nearly as catchy as the Pipettes. Ice Cream and Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above aren't Pull Shapes. Or It Hurts to See You Dance So Well. Or Judy.

Why couldn't those three ladies stay together?

Suffice to say, I've found all sorts of entertainment in the Phonogram universe. Keep up the good work!

Random question for Kieron:

1.)I guess one of the few bands I like that comes remotely close to The Pipettes is The Start. Ever listened to them? If not, start with Shakedown then try The 1234.

[KieronGillen]

Ah, sorry for the late response. Did a search to check whether anyone was talking about the new issue (Out today, etc)

Anyway - glad you're liking it and that we've totally helped sell a CD. That's one of the best things about doing Phonogram - that kind of recommendation thing.

(The other good thing is people coming to us, pointing us at fun stuff. It's a cultural exchange, mark my words.)

Re: The Start. Yeah, we like the Start. Jamie's a big fan. Anything with a few synths, a rock-edge and female vocals, he gets curious feelings for.

(See also: Metric, Ladytron)

KG

[Global Honored]

Picked up the ish today. I missed #2 though after being blown away by the first issue. It's such an amazing concept, fully realized. The art may be the best in comics right now, period. I do need to pick up that missing issue and I suppose the trade for vol. 1. I am in awe of the creativity and work put into this series. Seriously. Complete respect all around.

[pariah-1972]

I can't wait to read this.:smile:

[KieronGillen]

Global: You may be able to get your shop to order one. I believe there's still issues in stock.

And thanks. We have a lot of fun doing it.

KG

[Dave H]

I keep missing this book.
I'll have to make sure to remedy that in SDCC. (hint hint hint bring books hint)

[dan bailey]

Another great issue, of course, though I have to admit that the Indie Dave 2-pager fell flat, at least for me ... maybe because even though I'm a gigantic JD fan (I've long taken a certain perverse pride from the knowledge that, given the time difference between the US' Central Time Zone & the UK, I was getting married for the first time about the same time Mr. Curtis was giving The Idiot one last play), the cover version in question didn't outrage me or anything.

Of course, maybe, at this late date, I've simply lost the capacity for outrage.

... Nah.

[dtjunkie]

The Kid-With-Knife retelling of Rue Britannia was hilarious! I thought it couldn't get any better than "Kid-With-Kinfe is behind you with an AK-47" but then I lost it on "I also turned a girl into a ghost by the power of my sweet loving".

[KieronGillen]

I'll admit, when I finally saw the lettered pages of PHONOMANCER! I found myself laughing at my own jokes. I blame Leigh's cartooning, which sold it far better than I deserved. Also, I found myself wondering why we wasted 6 issues telling this story when it worked much better in 4 pages. Man!

(I also smirk at the indie dave one, pretty much for Lee's cartooning again. While I found the cover pretty terrible, the over-reaction of a total fan to something like that amuses me too.)

God, laughing at my own stuff. This is a new low.

Glad people dug this one. Next one was sent to image on Monday, so hopefully will be out in a month.

KG

[dan bailey]

Whereas I didn't mind the cover ... just its placement in the movie, really. (Why not end it with "Atmosphere," for godssakes? Possibly my favorite JD song, & the point where it kicks in toward the flick's end gives me genuine goosebumps.) Undoubtedly I'm biased by liking the Killers a good bit, which I'm pretty sure means I'm destined to be strung up from a lamppost as some sort of counterrevolutionary, no matter how many indie cred points I try to scrape together. (Yes, a stage-diving Jello Biafra kicked me upside the head in 8/82. Where was Kieron then, eh?)

[KieronGillen]

Wishing that someone would buy me a computer so I could play games. Ah, not for another three years after that.

I'm okay with some bits of the Killers actually, but you know Indie Dave wouldn't be.

(It is atmosphere as the film cuts to black, isn't it? It's the montage of scenes after his death, and then the fade to black... and a little bit after that when the credits start rolling, The Killers arrive.)

KG

[dan bailey]

(It is atmosphere as the film cuts to black, isn't it? It's the montage of scenes after his death, and then the fade to black... and a little bit after that when the credits start rolling, The Killers arrive.)


Yep -- "Atmosphere" it is. About as effective a use of music in cinema as I've ever experienced (though possibly tied with Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around" at the montage just after the start of the second Dawn of the Dead).

As for the Killers' cover, I can only hope that it led some ignorant younger people to discover JD. God knows they probably would never have any interest in seeing Control, but the song does appear on their odds-&-sods collection from last year, Sawdust.

[KieronGillen]

Yeah, brutal. I mean, predictable*, but brutally effective. I ended up crying, which I really didn't think I would.

KG

*I saw a funny riff on Closer which playfully described it as the most predictable film of the year. Man ends up dead and they play Atmosphere.

[dan bailey]

Yeah, brutal. I mean, predictable*, but brutally effective. I ended up crying, which I really didn't think I would.


As did I. I mean, the band, & by extension Ian Curtis, had been part of my life for more than 27 years when I saw the movie, so it's not as if I was unprepared for the ending ... but still.


*I saw a funny riff on Closer which playfully described it as the most predictable film of the year. Man ends up dead and they play Atmosphere.

Indeed. Of course, it is nice to be able to talk about a movie & not really have to worry about spoilers ...

[KieronGillen]

It was very much "The ship sinks" sort of a film.

Other thing I liked about the strip: Doing a Planet of the Apes riff.

KG

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Just read Issue 4, and HOOBOY. I think I need to settle down and re-read it again later. It doesn't really get much better than this.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Anyone know when #5 is coming out? Image's site has #7 solicited for Sep. 30, as weird as that sounds.

[TROUBLEZ]

Started this series with #3. Story felt pretty thin, but it's really different and the art is beautiful. #4 was really funny. I like when they bust out the Blondie album and it radiates a gold light.

I'm gonna draw up some petty cash and get the first two issues this week.

[gforguava]

A bit late to the party but this might be my favorite series of the year, with Issue #4 being the big, omega-level standout. Start to finish a perfect issue, generally a rare event, but nothing could've made "Konichiwa Bitches" any better.

And all of this is kind of amazing considering I didn't really care for the first Phonogram series.

[Pixie_Solanas]

A bit late to the party but this might be my favorite series of the year, with Issue #4 being the big, omega-level standout. Start to finish a perfect issue, generally a rare event, but nothing could've made "Konichiwa Bitches" any better.

And all of this is kind of amazing considering I didn't really care for the first Phonogram series.

The Robyn album Gillen is gushing about in the backnotes isn't THAT great. Hmmph.

[KieronGillen]

Anyone know when #5 is coming out? Image's site has #7 solicited for Sep. 30, as weird as that sounds.

Yeah, that's not happening, alas*. Not sure what's happening there. Issue 5 should be around there. I suspect the last two will come out pretty sharpish after that as well. It *should* be wrapped up by the end of November.

KG

*Though publishing them out of sequence would be a Very US thing to do**.

**i.e. Posturing pretentious nonsense.

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Wow.

I guess the first thing to say is that I'm happy I didn't read any reviews. I went into the issue with a completely different assumption of where it was going and pretty much got punched in the gut with that first page. I can't remember the last time I had to put down a comic book and come back to it later because of the material inside (might be Exterminators, but I don't think gross stuff is akin to the emotional punch this issue carries).

I'm still processing the issue in light of how the other issues have, as I understood them, dealt with memory and identity in relation to music in addition to the pop ecstasy of the Pipettes.

Kudos to the Phonogram team though. I don't think there are many other comics out there that can elicit such an emotional response in so few pages. I think the exploration of Laura will be a high point of the book insofar as illustrating how many stories and themes the book can cover. I still can't decide whether I love or hate Laura though, I'll get back to you on that. :tongue:

[KieronGillen]

I still can't decide whether I love or hate Laura though

Me neither. Win!

Glad you... well, "enjoyed it" isn't the word. But found something worthwhile.

KG

[Gitaroo_Dude]

Only about 12 hours until I get my hands on the final issue. Gonna go listen to Atlantis to Interzone, Heartbeats, and some Long Blondes in celebration/mourning.

[another_version]

New Issue out today!!! :biggrin:

Hopefully there will be many more to come! Thanks KG! :smile:

[dtjunkie]

Issue #7 has to be one of my favorite issues of Phonogram. KG's writing was awesome and McKelvie's art blew my mind. It really sucks that this is probably the last issue of Phonogram, but what a way to go. The double page spread of Penny was superb as was the Howling page. Okay I'm running out of superlatives. Thanks for the ride KG!

[noh-varr]

I absolutely loved this issue, and wish I had found and listened to "Wolf Like Me" reading it the first time through. This has been one of the best series I've read... well period. This issue just completely cements it, at least three of the issues have left me with goosebumps reading them, and not just the first time through, every other damn time I read them as well! I really wish there were someway for there to be a third, fourth, and however many more, series after this. Though the first two do still shine with that beautiful poppy glow.

[KieronGillen]

Thanks, everyone. We had a lot of fun doing it. And pain. But mainly fun.

(Well, mainly pain. But the fun is what's important)

KG

[Naturallpills]

is it ready yet , the article!

[Ilash]

OK, so I've got to ask, with the whole thing finished now, how would you guys who read it, compare it to the first volume? I like the idea of Phonogram and really wanted to like the first mini but it really didn't do it for me - even though I loved the art. Is it worth trying the trade for the second volume or is it just more of the same?

[noh-varr]

OK, so I've got to ask, with the whole thing finished now, how would you guys who read it, compare it to the first volume? I like the idea of Phonogram and really wanted to like the first mini but it really didn't do it for me - even though I loved the art. Is it worth trying the trade for the second volume or is it just more of the same?

I think it was better then the first volume, which I did thoroughly enjoy as well. It is definitely more accesibile though since each issue is a one shot that has ties and links to one another. It's more of the same but also takes things in new directions and is in many ways a different book. I'd recommend picking it up. But I loved the thing completely and upset that there won't be anymore. I mean yeah have a Loki one shot to look forward to by the same team, but I really don't think Loki will mention what he thinks about an Echobelly album for example, which is a shame. I do wonder what the Norse Gods think about pop music.

[Ilash]

I think it was better then the first volume, which I did thoroughly enjoy as well. It is definitely more accesibile though since each issue is a one shot that has ties and links to one another. It's more of the same but also takes things in new directions and is in many ways a different book. I'd recommend picking it up. But I loved the thing completely and upset that there won't be anymore. I mean yeah have a Loki one shot to look forward to by the same team, but I really don't think Loki will mention what he thinks about an Echobelly album for example, which is a shame. I do wonder what the Norse Gods think about pop music.

OK, cool, I might just pick it up. I do hope I connect more with the characters this time round though.

[JayPhonomancer]

OK, cool, I might just pick it up. I do hope I connect more with the characters this time round though.

I know I'm VERY late jumping into this discussion but as you have probably guessed from my user name I adore this series. I jumped on board with issue 4, got the back issues (except for issue 1 but I'll get it) and have since picked up the first two issues of the original series but have only read the first one.

In relation to connecting with the characters I think that's the strength of the Singles Club. Each individual issue is like a character study. We spend time inside the heads of a different person and see one night replayed from their perspective and different interpretations of events. From the single issue of Rue Britannia I've read and what else I've hear of it the Singles Club is a lot more accessible and I'm sure you'll love it. To be honest I don't see how anyone couldn't enjoy this.

[mgs]

OK, so I've got to ask, with the whole thing finished now, how would you guys who read it, compare it to the first volume? I like the idea of Phonogram and really wanted to like the first mini but it really didn't do it for me - even though I loved the art. Is it worth trying the trade for the second volume or is it just more of the same?
yeah, I'm in the same boat. LOVE the idea, but when I pick up an issue and look at it, I'm like, :frown:

[JayPhonomancer]

yeah, I'm in the same boat. LOVE the idea, but when I pick up an issue and look at it, I'm like, :frown:

Surely not because of the art? McKelvie and Wilson are doing sterling work on this book. It's bloody gorgeous!

[mgs]

Surely not because of the art? McKelvie and Wilson are doing sterling work on this book. It's bloody gorgeous!
I always think to myself that if I read an issue or two more, I might get into it, but honestly, it's not done much for me, which is surprising given the praise it's gotten and all, and I thought I would love the art style (which I do, but it's limited to the covers) but for some reason it's just not clicking with me. :frown:

I'm not saying it's bad, I just... :confused: