A Rock Star Takes On Rockstars: The Anniversary’s Josh Berwanger Reflects on Joe Harris & Megan Hutchison’s New Image Comic

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Writer: Joe Harris
Artist: Megan Hutchison
Publisher: Image Comics

What does “saving rock ‘n’ roll” mean? To the kid who goes to house shows every weekend, rock ‘n’ roll never left. To the frat guy and his bros, maybe Creed saved it.

But what about the person who bleeds these words from their mouth: “WHAT WILL SAVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL!?” In my opinion, these people are from another time: when popular music wasn’t watered down, when rock wasn’t a dog-and-pony show filled with cheap lyrical content, when guitars didn’t sound like digital puke and when band members cared more about writing a song with substance than about their social media status. As far as these people are concerned, “great” rock ‘n’ roll is over, and, sadly, they may be right.

Enter the first issue of Rockstars from Image Comics. Jackie is obsessed with music and can obviously be put into the category of humans who were “born too late.” He sits in his room trying to decipher rock’s greatest mysteries and myths, from “Paul is Dead” to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon syncing with The Wizard of Oz. But Jackie has also stumbled onto something else—the mysterious disappearance of groupies active in the ‘70s, and it just so happens that a groupie has recently been found dead. Is it a coincidence? Is it supernatural? Does rock ‘n’ roll carry a pact with the devil?

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Rockstars #1 Cover Art by Megan Hutchison

Jackie ends up meeting music writer/investigative reporter, Dorothy Buell (yes, Buell), one of the many subtle rock ‘n’ roll references that music fans will enjoy throughout this comic. Jackie and Dorothy make an unconventional pair, and they come together in a quest to solve the case of the groupies’ deaths. This may lead to a Scully/Mulder- type relationship down the road. Rockstars #1 has great art, is a super fun read and left me excited for the next issue. I even had to go back and read it again to look for secret messages throughout the comic. If you are a fan of Buffy, The X-Files, conspiracies and, of course, rock ‘n’ roll, READ THIS NOW, and there is no doubt you will be dancing madly backwards.

Rockstars #1 Cover Art by Megan Hutchison

Rock music may never be the same as it was “back in the day,” and there may never be a band that “saves rock ‘n’ roll.” But maybe, just maybe, a comic will.

Josh Berwanger is a solo artist as well as the lead singer of The Anniversary and The Only Children. He also has an amazing collection of DVDs on his tour bus.