Steeltown Rockers (Marvel) (Ltd. 1990)

Steeltown Rockers is one of those comics for which I appreciate the effort even though it never really gels.  A six-issue limited series released in 1990, the comic was definitely different than the mainstream Marvel title at the time: instead of featuring Spider-Man or the X-Men, it was a "realistic" story about a group of teenagers trying to start a rock and roll band.  The book was written by Elaine Lee with art by Steve Leialoha.

Issue # 1 was pretty good.  We meet Johnny, a kid in a rough family dynamic (dad has lost his job and can't pay the mortgage) who dreams of making it big in music and leaving a dying Steeltown for the bright lights of L.A.  But when Johnny, who can't even afford the lay-away payments on his guitar, meets a fellow musician named Mike, Mike's brother Eddie, and a sax player named Syd, the dream of starting a band becomes too much to resist.  Johnny cashes in his long-saved-for one-way ticket to L.A. to buy his guitar outright in the hopes of making his music dreams come true.  I really liked this first issue, and imagine it sold terribly.  At the time, Marvel just wasn't the place for stories about characters who don't run around in tights.

Rehearsals for the new band start in Issue # 2, and the teens have the usual problem of everyone not showing up.  They have to get rid of their drummer and set about finding a new one.  I was rather confused in spots about what was happening in the book, and found it a disappointing sequel.

The artwork is really rushed in Issue # 3, and I often feel mainstream comic companies would experiment with a new title and then not give them the support they need to survive.  Anyway, a couple of the band members get into a fight with a gang member, Johnny gets into a fight with his drunken dad, and there's multiple vignettes on what the kids are up to from midnight to dawn.  It's more of a "this is what their lives are like" issue rather than one that advances the plot, which I normally wouldn't mind.  I just don't think it was done especially well.

Issue # 4 has the band's first gig--at the bowling alley!  A new band member (a pretty girl named Adora) causes friction in the ranks (rather cliched, of course), but the first show goes great.  The problem I find with the book is I still don't know most of the characters very well.

Someone watched too many after school specials before creating Issue # 5.  The band's new drummer, Terry, snorts cocaine and then gets into an accident with an oncoming train!  It's like something written by a well-intentioned but out-of-touch adult.

Issue # 6 is kind of fun, as the band gets a gig at a local comic-con and is a big hit.  Once Terry recovers from his accident, he gets sent to a military academy, leaving the band without a drummer.  Fortunately, they find a new one just in time for their new regular gig at a venue called the "Dive Bar."  It's not L.A. and they're not rock stars, but they've made something of themselves.  I like the more realistic ending.

I definitely think there's a lot more to comics than just spandex, and I like the idea of exploring a wide range of stories.  Steeltown Rockers had an interesting premise, but the writing and artwork just aren't up to snuff to make it worth digging out of the long boxes.