What I’ve Been Reading: Red Rocket 7

Despite being a fan of “music” and “comics,” I’d not picked up Mike Allred’s Red Rocket 7 over the years because it looked like an ill-conceived mishmash of Forest Gump and the crappier end of new-age “science fiction” like The Phoenix, but a 10th anniversary edition with a competitive price point made it a “what the hell” purchase.

Annoyingly, my initial instincts were correct. While it’s hard to find an artist whose work I enjoy more than Mike Allred, this comic about an alien clone and his place in rock and roll is ill-conceived, trite (the Allrods?), and comes very close to out-and-out whitewashing a significant chunk of music history despite lip service being paid in a few places to Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jimi Hendrix. There’s nothing here that couldn’t be better learned by watching the 10-hour History of Rock And Roll series, as it lacks a dopey Mormon metaphor disguised as Science Fiction. Disappointing, if very easy on the eyes.