Spinal Tap Meets Ghostbusters
1974: the world’s most famous rock band thought they were “worshiping Satan,” only to find they were actually . . . worshiping Satan.
From Paul Cornell (Wolverine, Action Comics) and Tony Parker (Mass Effect: Foundation) comes a darkly hilarious adventure of black magic and classic rock!
Fans of the twisted humor Cornell displayed in his previous writings will not be disappointed with this outing. Parker's artwork is equally inventive, with one particularly vivid sequence depicting the band mates' differing reactions to the world around them after taking mushrooms. If future issues can maintain this level of quality, This Damned Band promises to be an amazing spectacle. Read Full Review
The Verdict: Paul Cornell and Tony Parker's This Damned Band is a must read for fans of great comic books as well as great music. Packed with self referencing easter eggs, humor and history that prove that they are not only great writers and artists, but great rock music fans, This Damned Band is looking to be one of the best rock n' roll comics ever. Read Full Review
I loved This Damned Band #1 and cannot wait to read issue 2. Right from the humorous dialogue to the beautiful artwork, Dark Horse Comics are once again onto a winner. Read Full Review
Overall, a solid beginning to what seems to be a very interesting concept. Read Full Review
It's simple. If you love comics and you love rock n' roll, you're probably trigger shy about picking this up. Nobody can blame you. We've all been burned before by creative teams who think they know what rock n' roll is all about, only to come up woefully short when the book goes to press. When one of the best examples of mixing rock n' roll and comics is a Jack Chick tract, you know the dangerous ground Cornell and Parker have chosen to mine. Well, you can rest assured that the saga of Motherfather is in very capable hands. They're creating a great book here. They get it. One request, though: Is it too much to hope for a 45 to be included in the eventual trade release? Read Full Review
A fictional discography follows the story and adds both some more insight to the history of Motherfather as well as depth to the group and the issue itself. "This Damned Band" #1 is a triumph and a strong, fascinating introduction. Read Full Review
When it comes to books and some other media types that deals with music, it's a rare beast that I can actually get into. The most that usually draws me in are the various documentary works for some of the older bands out there because it gets into the real dynamics of the group and where the music comes from. So I was wary of a book like this, even with someone as strong as Paul Cornell writing it. But the man has pulled it off by making these characters very layered and with so much potential for exploration. But it's given such a life because of Tony Parker's incredible artwork. This is a dense book in both words and pictures and it comes together in a fantastic way, and that's even before the truly trippy part comes in. How well that will work won't be known until the next issue, but based on what we get here I'm all in for this book to see where this team will take it. Read Full Review
The first issue of This Damn Band is a must read not only for fans of Paul Cornell's writing, or fans of rock music, or comic books, but also for anybody who wants to experience comic book story telling in what promises to be a unique and interesting way. Read Full Review
I would recommend this for people who are fans of quasi-realism. Mixing that with a humorous Spinal Tap documentary style for music, makes this amusing as well intelligently written. Read Full Review
This may not have been a book I would have grabbed off the shelf, but I'm glad I read it. I'm rather angered that this is only the first issue. I want to read the whole story now. I don't want to wait. Waiting is for fools. Read Full Review
After a couple of false starts I really enjoyed this comic. The comic timing, the narrative style and the art really work well to bring a comic that, given time, could just turn it up to 11. Read Full Review
And that's what we're viewing in This Damned Band: the presentation of a band as something they aren't. It's confusing (maybe a bit too much so) and complex, but what multi-layered story isn't? Motherfather calculatedly depicts themselves as devil-praising spiritual transcendents (and by the end, the demonic element makes itself known) when really, they're just a bunch of party bros trying to get drunk and get laid. The gap between the truth and the perception is the story that's being told. It's heavy stuff for something that starts off as innocuously as a comic book about a rock band. At least, that's what it seems like. Read Full Review
This is a really well done book with a lot of humorous moments. The “bad trip” has been done before, but honestly, it never gets old. This book brings that trip to the stage, and makes it just hilarious. It’s definitely worth a read. Read Full Review
I can't really say I can predict where the story will continue from here and that's a great thing. I look forward to seeing what Cornell and Parker have planned for us and the band on this rock and roll journey. THIS DAMNED BAND isn't like other comics currently on sale. Don't miss out on your chance for a front row seat to a fascinating production. Read Full Review
The story begins to take an interesting turn beyond the halfway point. With only a few subtle hints that something is amiss, suddenly the readers will catch on to an underlying plot. As the story moves towards the final panels, Cornell and the art team add in an entirely new and unexpected angle to the book. With this conclusion, This Damned Band has even more to offer heading into its second issue. These band members may likely regret pretending to have an affinity for the dark arts. This Damned Band is a well-crafted new story with a ton of potential. Read Full Review
The artistic team and Cornell are singing in unison on this one, and the result is a crisp narrative pace that actually feels like a documentary. Pages most often revolve around individual characters in order to flesh out the world in which this story takes place and advance the plot. The steady narrative tempo that gives the first bits of this story its distinct feel makes the record-scratch of an ending all the more satisfying. Read Full Review
This is a great first issue and, knowing that it's a limited series, I'm definitely curious to see what exactly Cornell, Parker and Kindzierski have in store for MOTHERFATHER. Read Full Review
This comic is really one of extremes. On one side we have our band members; real human beings elevated to the place of gods among lesser people, but also very fragile and flawed by themselves. We have the philanderer, the spaceman, the blue-collar, the boss and the man who just wants to keep it all together. On the other side we have these (ab)normal people being thrown into a world of supernatural horrors and hellish beasts. In a little post-comic easter egg, we see that the band has already seen rough times and that the rock and roll lifestyle is a means to try and block out the pain. If a reader finds it hard to figure out if they are really in hell or just hallucinating, then its mission complete as far as the comic goes, because our characters dont know which is which either. Read Full Review
The premise is unique, and the humor is 100% Cornell. The art is also great at achieving a Bronze Age effect, with plenty of trippy imagery and faded colors making this comic look like something you'd pull out of a quarter bin at a flea market (in a good way). Sadly, the mockumentary approach keeps the characters at too much of a distance. Read Full Review
The initial mockumentary conceit of This Damned Band doesn't always work, and in fact holds the reader at arm's length. Yet it's also a fun way to introduce a large ensemble in rapid order. The bigger issue might be that it conveniently forgets its own mock form, so that when it returns to a "to camera" interview it is jarring and once again takes us out of the story. It could also be said that much of the future of the series relies on buy-in of the final panel, which will presumably set the course of the next issue. However, as a jet-fueled piece of art rock, it captures an era well, and that alone gives this grounds for further exploration. Read Full Review
This Damned Band #1 is a good kickoff to a funny story with its toe slightly dipped in the pool of reality. I'm interested to see what the Devil has to say about all of this… Read Full Review
This Damned Band #1 is a slow start but has great potential. It has a number of writer Paul Cornell's flaws, but it has many amazing places to go with subsequent issues. This is the introductory issue and the more terrifying stuff is yet to come. Tony Parker is a hit or miss on this book. When he's good, it's excellent but there are times where the artwork seems weak. This might sound like a downer, but don't be fooled. The book has a lot going for it, it just needs a chance to spread its wings. Read Full Review
My enjoyment of this one came from the references to rock's past and of course Spinal Tap. But the art not lining up with the story was a little bit of a turn off. From an art perspective I hope Parker is a little more concise on how he displays each scene to avoid any potential confusion. However, there is certainly enough intrigue to bring me back for issue #2. Read Full Review
"This Damned Band" is a comic book that follows a 1970s band through their documentary. The band has a stage persona and a completely different one when the cameras are off. The comic book stumbles when trying to provide distinct character voices but excels with the artwork. A comic book that has this many good ideas in it shouldn't be this difficult to get into and I felt this was because of the bland characterizations. This is one to check out but probably is going to cater to fans of the creators or readers that are into the rock band genre. Give this a look. Read Full Review
This Damned Band #1 is a comic that I really wanted to like, especially with a writer that I already really like. However, the quality of the writing, the almost nonexistent story (that was spoiled ahead of time by Dark Horse), and the flawed artwork hold this comic back way more than it should have. For people who are fans of music documentaries and were curious about this comic, just hold off until there are more issues out there. Everyone else, just walk away and check out some of Cornell's other work, like Saucer Country. Read Full Review
Overall, nothing about this issue made me want to pick up the next. This Damned Band #1 feels like a missed opportunity to grab readers and bring them along for the story Cornell and Parker are telling. Maybe this will read better collected as a trade, but I wouldn't recommend this title as something that needs to be followed in issues. Read Full Review
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