Music Week

Strip Panel Naked: Music Notation as Storytelling
Strip Panel Naked: Music Notation as Storytelling
Strip Panel Naked: Music Notation as Storytelling
It's Music Week here at ComicsAlliance, and I wanted to take some time to dive into a very particular relationship between music and comics. Comics obviously are silent, so musical numbers are particularly tough to pull off. Getting the actual sound across, the lyricism, the melody - it's a challenge. I want to take a look at three examples of music in comics that all use a particular approach with notation. By using the staves of sheet music, and placing notes on the page, these three comics manage to provide an extra depth to their storytelling.
Kiss With A Fist: The 'Midnighter and Apollo' Mixtape
Kiss With A Fist: The 'Midnighter and Apollo' Mixtape
Kiss With A Fist: The 'Midnighter and Apollo' Mixtape
Steve Orlando, Fernando Blanco and Romulo Fajardo Jr's Midnighter and Apollo straddles a sweet spot between being one of the most brutal and visceral superhero comics on the stands, and also one of the most tender and heartfelt romance stories. That intersection is exactly where my musical taste lies, so this playlist reflects these two beating hearts of the series.
Eat Nuts And Kick Butts: The 'Unbeatable Squirrel Girl' Mixtape
Eat Nuts And Kick Butts: The 'Unbeatable Squirrel Girl' Mixtape
Eat Nuts And Kick Butts: The 'Unbeatable Squirrel Girl' Mixtape
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, by Ryan North, Erica Henderson and Rico Renzi is a vibrant, self-reflexive, upbeat and funny female-led comic --- and those happen to be all the qualities I enjoy in my pop music as well! So stick on your headphones, grab some nuts, and let me kick your ears' butts in this playlist inspired by Doreen Green.
12 Facts You May Not Have Known About Black Canary
12 Facts You May Not Have Known About Black Canary
12 Facts You May Not Have Known About Black Canary
Everyone loves comic book trivia, but with decades of comics behind, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite names in comics in our continuing video series. You think you know comics? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! To further celebrate Music Week, today we're taking a look at one of DC's most prominent super-heroines, who is sometimes a rock star, Black Canary!
Kathleen Jacques' 'Band vs. Band' Makes Nostalgia Gay Again
Kathleen Jacques' 'Band vs. Band' Makes Nostalgia Gay Again
Kathleen Jacques' 'Band vs. Band' Makes Nostalgia Gay Again
Gosh! Don't ya ever wish you could go back to simpler times, where milkshakes and ascots and groovy tunes made life the cat's pajamas? Well, fold up your fictional feline fashion, friends, for decades past were never so simple for marginalized folk. Luckily, Kathleen Jacques' webcomic Band vs. Band captures years of ace aesthetic and kooky kitsch with none of the exclusion. There's just super style, boss band battles, and a killer crescendo of gay romantic tension. Tune in to ComicsAlliance's conversation with Jacques for more.
Bad Girls Do It Well: The 'Bitch Planet' Mixtape [Music Week]
Bad Girls Do It Well: The 'Bitch Planet' Mixtape [Music Week]
Bad Girls Do It Well: The 'Bitch Planet' Mixtape [Music Week]
We at ComicsAlliance love comics, and we love music, so this week we’ve decided to combine those two loves and create playlist tributes to some of our favorite titles. Think of these as something to listen to while you read the comic, or an introduction to the vibe of a comic if you're not yet a fan. Kelly Sue DeConnick, Valentine De Landro and Cris Peter's Bitch Planet is one of the most important comics being published today. In addition to being an amazing sci-fi story with glorious butt-kicking women, it’s rife with feminist critique of patriarchy, while still maintaining an inspirational tone. Putting together this playlist, I thought I’d be choosing angry, riot grrrl songs, but what I ended up with feels more like a modern celebration of women. I think Bitch Planet itself is kind of the same thing.
Comic Artists Cover David Bowie For 'Moonage Daydreams'
Comic Artists Cover David Bowie For 'Moonage Daydreams'
Comic Artists Cover David Bowie For 'Moonage Daydreams'
Moonage Daydream is an art exhibition that describes itself as an "illustrated tribute" to David Bowie. Twenty-one artists from comics and beyond have taken on 21 different albums or singles, creating new cover art inspired by the music. That includes Iain Laurie of And Then Emily Was Gone covering Scary Monsters, Marc Laming of Planet Hulk tackling Station to Station, and Jamie Coe of Art Schooled taking on Changes.
12 Facts You May Not Have Known About Gorillaz
12 Facts You May Not Have Known About Gorillaz
12 Facts You May Not Have Known About Gorillaz
Everyone loves trivia about their favorite animated features and series, but with over 100 years of animation history behind us right now, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite names in cartoons in this continuing video series. You think you know cartoons? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! Hey, gang, it's Music Week, so today we're taking a look at the most popular cartoon band of all time, the Gorillaz!