PUNKS NOT DEAD

released OUT NOW! Publisher IDW Publishing Writer david Barnett Artist Martin simmonds

Showing as little respect for subtlety and decorum as it does for punctuation, anarchic fantasy Punks Not Dead arrives on the scene as a colourfully bonkers satire that’s out to have some serious fun.

One of the launch titles from IDW’s new imprint Black Crown, it’s the story of Fergie, a teenager for whom life at school is a rollercoaster of bad luck – until a spectral encounter at Heathrow Airport sees him end up with the ghost of deceased punk rocker Sid Vicious as a permanent companion. While Sid’s presence leads to an unexpected turn in Fergie’s fortunes, this new friendship has also done something very odd to the nature of reality itself, and these first three issues make it clear that novelist-turned-comics-scripter David Barnett has some big and long-form plans for this ongoing series.

He’s delivered an energetic story that leaps nimbly from bizarre fantasy to kitchen-sink reality with style, while showcasing a satirical tone that’s reminiscent of early ’90s British comics like Crisis, but with enough of its own loopy character to feel unique. The art from Martin Simmonds is equally kooky, pulling off imaginative page layouts and painterly colours. The result is a crazy and characterful comic that’s off to a very promising start. Saxon Bullock