Metal bands from the 70s and 80s were all types of weird. Each member had their own interesting personality that just watching their live shows was all types of fun from “Black Sabbath†to “Ratt.†“This Damned Band†by Paul Cornell with art by Tony Parker tries to capture these wild bands with a messed up twist. It’s a shame the first issue is a bummer to read.
Motherfather is the biggest band in the world. During their concert at “Budokan,†they are being filmed for their documentary. While filming, they reveal some of their dark secrets which include drugs, devil worship and that they are frauds. During filming their supposed devil worship becomes a bit too real.
The first issue is reminiscent of the mockumentary “This is Spinal Tap†in that it’s a 70s hair metal band being followed around by a film crew and there’s supposed to comedy. The problem her is that the comedy falls flat on its face. Many of the funny bits here are jokes we’ve seen before and done better in elsewhere.
Another thing keeping this comic down is the characters just aren’t that interesting. Yes, they’re supposed to be satirical stereotypes of 70s metal bands, but little effort was made to do anything with them.
The artwork also falls into the mediocre category. The characters are drawn exactly like how they should. Justin Parish sporting the typical crazy long hair, fur vest and jeans fits the mold perfectly. Not to mention Alex looks like the typical “normal†member of the band with his clean cut hair and suit. On the other hand, some of the designs choices are unappealing. One of the most glaring of all is the facial expression used whenever a character looks surprised. It makes the character looks all kinds of goofy.
“This Damned Band #1†has a boring story with nonexistent humor and OK art. “This is Spinal Tap†is such an iconic film that trying to copy it with a twist proved to be unsuccessful for Cornell and Parker.
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