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CBGB
An anthology of today's hottest comic book creators celebrating the individual and rebellious spirit of New York City's legendary music venue CBGB, home of underground rock! Featuring a cover by Jaime Hernandez , the award-winning creator of LOVE AND ROCKETS, and Eisner award winning artist CHUCK BB of BLACK METAL and SECRET SKULL fame.
112 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 10, 2011
Cheeeeeeeeeessssssyyyyyy! The stories were mostly lame, the art so-so. Basically the cover by Jaime Hernandez is the best thing about this book.
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May 9, 2017An anthology devoted to the NYC punk mecca, one issue of which - with the Gillen/Ellerby strip - I picked up on release. Several of the other pieces share its theme - that getting too hung up on a shining moment of the past can be a counterproductive sort of fidelity to the idea of 'punk', while completely losing the substance. Others take different angles, at least two of which I suspect Boom would be less OK with publishing in 2017 than they were in 2010; if only genuine progress had come as far as progressive self-criticism in that time, eh? There are writers here I wasn't so aware of back then who have now become names I follow (Humphries, deConnick), and even a story by Ana Matronic which I enjoyed much more than expected given I always considered her band the ITV Fischerspooner. The artists' names, for the most part, are still new to me, I suspect because this sort of alternative look and sensibility doesn't move into the mainstream so easily as a writer can.
January 19, 2026
Creators from mainstream and Indie comics along with musicians, music experts and those intimately involved in the operation of the legendary New York music venue CBGB joined forces in 2010 to present a 4-issue anthology from Boom! Studios.
CBGB was at the forefront of the American punk scene, providing a headquarters for fabled bands such as Television, Blondie, Talking Heads and Ramones. It later evolved into the home of New Wave as punk began to fade. But it wasn't intended that way. When Hilly Krystal opened his bar, he felt that country music was going to be the next best thing in the Big Apple. Hence, the name CBGB, which stood for 'Country, Bluegrass and Blues'. Like one of the characters says in the opener 'A NYC Punk Carol', which untangles the facts from the myth of CBGB, the owner 'couldn't have been more wrong.' In desperate need of patrons, Krystal would allow very avant garde acts to perform under the arrangement that the band got the door sales and Holly got the bar take. Soon, an unusual new vibe began to form, fueled by a single rule: there are no rules.
Kieron Gillen, Rob G., andKelly Sue Deconnick, among others, examined the past, present and future of CBGB. The past of the venue was vast and rich. The present for fans of CBGB, was pretty bleak. In 2006, the club closed due to a dispute over rent. (Patti Smith was the site's final act.) A year later, Hilly Krystal passed from complications of lung cancer. By the time this miniseries saw print, CBGB was an entity in name only with licensing of the name and logo on countless T-shirts, hats and book bags being overseen by the venue's long-time general manager, Louise Staley, who reviewed and approved all of the stories in this collection.
As for the future of CBGB, as long as the acts that got their start at 315 Bowery, Manhattan continue to enthrall the next generation of music lovers and musicians, CBGB will continue to live on, if only as just a memory and commercial property.
Note: OMFUG isn't an acronym for dirty talk. It stands for 'Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers.' In this case, the gourmandizers were 'eaters of music.'
CBGB was at the forefront of the American punk scene, providing a headquarters for fabled bands such as Television, Blondie, Talking Heads and Ramones. It later evolved into the home of New Wave as punk began to fade. But it wasn't intended that way. When Hilly Krystal opened his bar, he felt that country music was going to be the next best thing in the Big Apple. Hence, the name CBGB, which stood for 'Country, Bluegrass and Blues'. Like one of the characters says in the opener 'A NYC Punk Carol', which untangles the facts from the myth of CBGB, the owner 'couldn't have been more wrong.' In desperate need of patrons, Krystal would allow very avant garde acts to perform under the arrangement that the band got the door sales and Holly got the bar take. Soon, an unusual new vibe began to form, fueled by a single rule: there are no rules.
Kieron Gillen, Rob G., andKelly Sue Deconnick, among others, examined the past, present and future of CBGB. The past of the venue was vast and rich. The present for fans of CBGB, was pretty bleak. In 2006, the club closed due to a dispute over rent. (Patti Smith was the site's final act.) A year later, Hilly Krystal passed from complications of lung cancer. By the time this miniseries saw print, CBGB was an entity in name only with licensing of the name and logo on countless T-shirts, hats and book bags being overseen by the venue's long-time general manager, Louise Staley, who reviewed and approved all of the stories in this collection.
As for the future of CBGB, as long as the acts that got their start at 315 Bowery, Manhattan continue to enthrall the next generation of music lovers and musicians, CBGB will continue to live on, if only as just a memory and commercial property.
Note: OMFUG isn't an acronym for dirty talk. It stands for 'Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers.' In this case, the gourmandizers were 'eaters of music.'
January 20, 2021
Like basically every anthology project -- but especially graphic storytelling ones -- this collection of eight stories thematically linked to the legendary New York club is a hodgepodge of varying success. Even though I never got a chance to go to a show there, I grew up in DC going to all ages punk and hardcore shows in the mid to late 1980s at equivalent spaces with their own stories. Of course the importance of a club like CBGB is less about the physical space, and more about the people who used the space and what they did with it. And for better or worse, the stories here capture the essence of coming together and finding creative community.
Each story has a completely different writing style, starting with Kieron Gillen's homage to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." It's a clever little conceit with two bickering ghosts of punk pastthat works quite well. I also liked Kelly Sue Deconnick's presumably autobiographical "Count 5 or 6", which is a nice sketch of a young woman coming to NYC, doing her thing on the scene, and then eventually growing up and leaving the city. Mr. Sheldon's "Oozy-Suzi-Q-Tip" is a memorable phantasmagoria about the raw power of a live show, and is the one story that really feels as reckless and borderline out of control as an actual punk show.
Time travel features in a few stories, which felt like a bit of a narrative cop-out. None of the stories are long enough to be too deep or sophisticated, but they all have at least a little nugget of something for the reader who's open to it. The artwork is just as varied, with lots of different styles -- from realism to hazy fuzz, watercolor washes, classic cartoon, and the wild style of Mr. Sheldon. (Be forewarned that the only Hernandez work is on the cover.) All in all I guess I'd recommend it to those with a crossover interest in comics and punk, but it's probably unlikely to be very interesting to a wider audience.
Each story has a completely different writing style, starting with Kieron Gillen's homage to Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." It's a clever little conceit with two bickering ghosts of punk pastthat works quite well. I also liked Kelly Sue Deconnick's presumably autobiographical "Count 5 or 6", which is a nice sketch of a young woman coming to NYC, doing her thing on the scene, and then eventually growing up and leaving the city. Mr. Sheldon's "Oozy-Suzi-Q-Tip" is a memorable phantasmagoria about the raw power of a live show, and is the one story that really feels as reckless and borderline out of control as an actual punk show.
Time travel features in a few stories, which felt like a bit of a narrative cop-out. None of the stories are long enough to be too deep or sophisticated, but they all have at least a little nugget of something for the reader who's open to it. The artwork is just as varied, with lots of different styles -- from realism to hazy fuzz, watercolor washes, classic cartoon, and the wild style of Mr. Sheldon. (Be forewarned that the only Hernandez work is on the cover.) All in all I guess I'd recommend it to those with a crossover interest in comics and punk, but it's probably unlikely to be very interesting to a wider audience.
July 5, 2020
It’s understandable a place like CBGB would generate this universal impulse to write a love letter but, while art is verging on the great, these are mostly feelings that have already been treaded. Kelly Sue Deconnick and Chuck BB’s “Count 5 Or 6” is probably the only one in which lyrics and music converge to create something as new and memorable as anything the mecca did breed.
August 22, 2019
Fun thought provoking graphic novel with short stories focused around the punk scene circa 1970s NYC. There was an element of science fiction and whimsy.
November 8, 2011
It was my birthday recently and I bought myself some new books as gifts! When I was at the store I saw this comic. I have been learning more about the origins of punk lately, so I figured-- comics, punk, why the fuck not? I bought this thinking I would learn more about the legendary club, and I didn't. If that's what you want from this, look elsewhere! Three of the nine comics dealt directly with artists who played in CBGB's (as far as I can tell.) Out of those, I only felt like one was relatively informative and had an interesting argument-- one of the first comics, "An NYC Punk Carol."
Otherwise, the art in this full-colored book was so-so. Most of the stories were middle of the road. The above mentioned one was probably my favorite. "Count 5 or 6" was another favorite.
There were some real down-falls, though. "Oozy-Suzi-Que-Z" had interesting, bright art but the story was disgusting. "Of and concerning..." was extremely racially insensitive and idiotic. (Yes, punk is a racially insensitive genre, but this was not accurate representation of that.)
Besides that, the segue art was disruptive and bad.
In the end, this comic attempts to find the "facts" and "Myths" about CBGB's, and the places in between. The only comic I truly felt that did this was "An NYC Punk Carol," which had to do it overtly. Otherwise, most of the comics were mainly about young people feeding on the myths of CBGB"s and being douchebags while they did it. Perhaps that was the lesson, though: move on and make new scenes.
Either way, you can find better books about American Punk and better comic books-- if you can think of a better one that combines the two, let me know!
Otherwise, the art in this full-colored book was so-so. Most of the stories were middle of the road. The above mentioned one was probably my favorite. "Count 5 or 6" was another favorite.
There were some real down-falls, though. "Oozy-Suzi-Que-Z" had interesting, bright art but the story was disgusting. "Of and concerning..." was extremely racially insensitive and idiotic. (Yes, punk is a racially insensitive genre, but this was not accurate representation of that.)
Besides that, the segue art was disruptive and bad.
In the end, this comic attempts to find the "facts" and "Myths" about CBGB's, and the places in between. The only comic I truly felt that did this was "An NYC Punk Carol," which had to do it overtly. Otherwise, most of the comics were mainly about young people feeding on the myths of CBGB"s and being douchebags while they did it. Perhaps that was the lesson, though: move on and make new scenes.
Either way, you can find better books about American Punk and better comic books-- if you can think of a better one that combines the two, let me know!
September 7, 2012
I went to the library to pick up books on Rock/Punk I need for research on a novel, and I happened to come across this. It was a quick read, but enjoyable. Ideally I'd give this a 3.5, but after reading the other reviews, which had some amusing criticisms, I decided to up it to 4, either because they made me realize how much I wanted to defend this little anthology, or because the stories just got me in a rebellious mood.
The stories all revolve the historic CBGB club in NYC, back when it was still around of course, all more or less true to the spirit of punk with their irreverence and outrageous plots. If there's anything that binds all of these, it's each artists love of punk music that you can feel bristling in each image and word of dialogue. Are they perfect? Will they turn you immediately into a punk rocker? No and no, but if you like punk, or any kind of rock music, I'd definitely check this out.
The stories all revolve the historic CBGB club in NYC, back when it was still around of course, all more or less true to the spirit of punk with their irreverence and outrageous plots. If there's anything that binds all of these, it's each artists love of punk music that you can feel bristling in each image and word of dialogue. Are they perfect? Will they turn you immediately into a punk rocker? No and no, but if you like punk, or any kind of rock music, I'd definitely check this out.
October 23, 2012
Another hooky library dealy.
With a cover by Jaime Hernandez and a collection of stories about the legendry CBGB club, you'd think you couldn't go wrong with this book. But overall it's pretty uneven, like most comics collections tend to be. (Why is this? It seems like the entries are selected in a way that doesn't have entertaining the reader as the highest goal. Maybe it's based on who is who's friend or dating whom?)
I was excited to see early and prominent mention of Television, my favorite band from that period. Usually CBGB == The Ramones and maybe Blondie.
Pick it up and read it if you are at the library, but if you really want to know about this important period of music, find a copy of Please Kill Me instead.
With a cover by Jaime Hernandez and a collection of stories about the legendry CBGB club, you'd think you couldn't go wrong with this book. But overall it's pretty uneven, like most comics collections tend to be. (Why is this? It seems like the entries are selected in a way that doesn't have entertaining the reader as the highest goal. Maybe it's based on who is who's friend or dating whom?)
I was excited to see early and prominent mention of Television, my favorite band from that period. Usually CBGB == The Ramones and maybe Blondie.
Pick it up and read it if you are at the library, but if you really want to know about this important period of music, find a copy of Please Kill Me instead.
December 27, 2014
An anthology ostensibly celebrating the club but most of the stories could have taken place anywhere thus rendering the unifying venue unnecessary. Still, three of these were quite good, and, as with any anthology I review, I will say that you're bound to find something you like.
The first story riffs on A Christmas Carol with ghosts of punk rock's past and is quite fun. Deconnick's look back at the life of someone leaving New York is sweet. And the science fiction story was a fun take on the old time-travel back in time for anthropology idea.
The first story riffs on A Christmas Carol with ghosts of punk rock's past and is quite fun. Deconnick's look back at the life of someone leaving New York is sweet. And the science fiction story was a fun take on the old time-travel back in time for anthropology idea.
February 13, 2011
Rocknroll comics are strange creatures that sound like a good prospect, but may end up having nothing to do with music at all. This is a good hit-and-miss collection of stories from various creators who mostly stick to mythologizing the late CBGB's as a (post-)punk rock Valhalla and sanctuary for misfits. Entertaining, and occasionally informative.
December 6, 2010
Pretty cool stuff. QUick read, but good variety of artist and shit. PUUUUNK
May 19, 2011
Incredible. Just...fucking incredible.
July 7, 2012
14.99
January 27, 2013
Not your regular biography of a famous punk club but a great collection of comic shorts that make the myth become more real.
March 29, 2014
Brings me back down memory lane. For those who Visited CBGB, it reads like a scrapbook. Also a bit of a love story for NYCs past
February 10, 2014
If you would like to relive some punk moments from CBGB in a fun comic book style then this is the book for you. Its quick, fun, and has some great artwork. Must read for any music lover!
March 20, 2015
Meh. Some of the art was all right but none of the stories jumped out at me as being particularly good or interesting (though there were a few that were bad!).
May 19, 2016
Enjoyed this - a wrap of the CBGBs-themed strips from across the years. Good fun.
July 13, 2016
A bunch of indie comic book writers and artists write punk rock related stories tangentially featuring CBGB's. The stories are uneven. I think my favorite was the one by Kelly Sue DeConnick.
August 4, 2016
everyone gave this poor ratings and I Kinda disagree it was a well done comic and I really enjoyed each story. idk what everyone else is smoking it was a fun light read!
June 12, 2018
A bunch of stories fawning about punk rock is so not punk rock. Or does that make it totally punk rock? The answer is clearly who cares.
As with any anthology the quality varies story to story, but there's some talent here that is worth keeping an eye on.
As with any anthology the quality varies story to story, but there's some talent here that is worth keeping an eye on.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews