“It’s difficult to say much more about the plot without giving too much of it away, but it’s an entertaining enough tale about art, fishing and punching people.”
Story by: Paolo Baron
Art & Cover by: Ernesto Carbonetti
English Translation by: Adrian Nathan West
Supervisor: Manfredi Giffone
Publisher: Image Comics
I’m not always a fan of ‘faction’ or what-if stories, but I have an interest in Jim Morrison, The Doors and several of the so-called 27 Club, so I thought I’d give this one a go. The 27 Club (musicians who died at the age of 27, including legendary figures like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and, erm, Amy Winehouse, who may or may not turn up on page 20) only really became a thing after Cobain’s death in 1994. How notable all the ‘members’ listed on Wikipedia are is questionable. Still, it’s something that’s captured the imagination of many, heavily focussing on those from the late 1960s music world.
Paolo Baron and Ernesto Carbonetti have previously tackled a rock conspiracy theory in Paul Is Dead (this is a trilogy, I’m reliably informed), and return here with a tale about Jim Morrison alive and well in Italy. It’s difficult to say much more about the plot without giving too much of it away, but it’s an entertaining enough tale about art, fishing and punching people. There’s plenty of humour in here among the darker themes and lots of pop cultures references scattered throughout, snippets of lyrics riffed upon forming chapter titles. I feel like I’ll spot new things in rereads, it’s that kind of book.
The art style is beautiful, each page looking like a work of art. There’s a suitable hint of 60s design in the silhouettes used, and the colours are glorious, giving a flavour of a beautiful late summer in the Mediterranean. There’s barely an outline used here – everything is in the colours, shading and design choices. If you’re going to draw famous people, you’d best be able to capture a face, and Carbonetti’s work is flawless in this respect.
While the art is outstanding, if you don’t recognise any of the names I mentioned in the first paragraph then you might not get much out of this. But for music nerds and fans of 60s music, there are lots of interesting bits to chew on.
Bigger Than Capes 
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