Sex Pistols the Graphic Novel
Thanks to Steve Parkhouse’s wonderfully vivid illustrations, and Jim McCarthy’s clever distillation of the script that rewrote rock ‘n’ roll and much else besides, the Pistols’ story returns to the rough and tumble of the comic strip from which it derived so much of its initial inspiration.
England’s original punks explode from the pages with the same disrespect for authority that had the British establishment up in arms during the Queen’s 25th anniversary jubilee. And no one would have enjoyed this take on the Pistols more than the tale’s real casualty, Sid Vicious, who devoured comics almost as much as he did the destructive stuff.
Also those final spectacular pages of Johny talking to us, are possibly the finest thing, McCarthy or anyone, for that matter, has written in a long, long time. If it isn’t a verbatim Rotten quote, it is dead on his vernacular. It sent a shiver up the spine. That reminder that is No Future and that England’s dreaming.
The Graphic Novel is an excellent piece of work and a first class book in its own right, embellished with an anarchic spirit, both in the style of the illustrations and the narrative. It delivers an entertaining crash course though the Sex Pistols history, appealing both to those who may not relish wading through England’s Dreaming, and to those who want to enjoy the Sex Pistols saga in the surreal world of the comic book.
Parkhouses’ drawings perfectly encapsulate and expand upon McCarthy’s carefully edited text, resulting in a slick, strongly constructed overview of the tumultuous quartet.
The Complete Bookshelf
