If you have to look up what it means, you probably aren’t very punk. That idea has been around for almost as long as the music, which is a long time.
NBM has been creating these music graphic guides for a while and, given the nature of all anthologies, they can be hits or misses. What gives this one an edge over their other biographies that focus on singular musicians is the range of bands covered, as well as the spillover effect of punk on everything from fashion to literature. It allows artists a wider palette to work with, making the overall result more interesting.
Cover by JT Yost
Putting it all together is Nicolas Finet, a writer and journalist whose well-documented obsessions with music and music history make him an ideal candidate for the task. Together with longtime collaborator Thierry Lamy (and translator James Hogan), he puts together a concise history of what was a unique moment in British history: a movement that had a profound impact far beyond that island’s shores.
Art by Martin Trystram
One must assume that the artists tasked with bringing this history lesson to life were more than pleased with the subject, given how easily it lends itself to illustration. Punk was driven by everything from anti-consumerism and non-conformity to anti-authoritarianism, nihilism, and a do-it-yourself ethic that prompted artists, writers, and designers to push all boundaries of self-expression in their search for authenticity. Those principles are reflected in these pages time and again, from the vibrant table of contents down to the selective discography in its closing pages.
There’s a lot of information to unpack here, all of it colourful and good, all laid out with the help of talented artists and illustrators (listed in alphabetical order) Joël Alessandra, Antoane, Will Argunas, Katya Bauman, Romain Brun, Céheu, Christopher, Janis Do, Benoît Frébourg, Thierry Gioux, Kongkee, Estelle Meyrand, Yvan Ojo, Gilles Pascal, Christelle Pécout, Lauriane Rérolle, Toru Terada, Martin Texier, Léah Touitou, and Martin Trystram.
Art by Yvan Ojo
Another great thing is how the format allows readers to cherry pick chapters. One can start with the American prehistory set in 1969-1970, for instance, or jump straight to The Sex Pistols in 1975, a story that begins with anger and ends with the murder of Sid Vicious. It is important to point out that the book doesn’t promise more than tasteful teasers, which makes sense given that it tries to take in everything from pub rock and combat rock to bands from Ireland, The Ramones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the impact on New York, and even the post-punk legacy of grunge.
Art by Romain Brun
For anyone familiar with the series, the usual highlights are in place: lots of memorabilia, reproductions of iconic posters, short and sweet history lessons that introduce each chapter, and pithy biographies of young men and women who set out from small towns across the United Kingdom to try and change the established order of things. Apart from that selective discography, there’s also a further reading list, along with recommended films and videos for anyone with an abiding interest in the era.
According to the Internet, the punk movement barely lasted half a decade. This book proves just how influential those five years were, and how they continue to influence our world and pop culture in strange, subtle ways.
Nicolas Finet & Thierry Lamy (W), Joël Alessandra, Antoane, Will Argunas, Katya Bauman, Romain Brun, Céheu, Christopher, Janis Do, Benoît Frébourg, Thierry Gioux, Kongkee, Estelle Meyrand, Yvan Ojo, Gilles Pascal, Christelle Pécout, Lauriane Rérolle, Toru Terada, Martin Texier, Léah Touitou & Martin Trystram (A), James Hogan (T) • NBM Publishing, $27.99
Review by Lindsay Pereira
