Great Moment In Springsteen Comic Book History - Guardians of the Galaxy #148

It's been a while, but the worlds of Springsteen and comics have finally crossed over again!  Unlike previous entries, I have not read Guardians of the Galaxy #148, so I don't know exactly the context.  I assume Drax is picking up the sax, to try to emulate his hero Clarence Clemons.  However, while listening, he is overwhelmed by the emotion of the song, and cannot continue.  Listening to the Big Man is a heart-wrenching moment for this particular big man.

Well, at least that's what I think.  I guess I could look up what exactly was happening, but where's the fun in that? 

Great Moments In Springsteen Comic Book History - Band For Life

Happy 2017 everybody!  Hopefully, your hangover is just about finished, and we here at Legends of Springsteen look forward to our FIFTH year of bringing you the strangest and obscure Springsteen articles on the Internets.  Today's entry comes from Anya Davidson's Band For Life, a graphic novel about the trials and tribulations of a struggling young experimental rock band.

In this small part of the story, the characters are retelling how they met to become a band, and take a pause at a point where they got stuck in an elevator.  How did they get out?  Why, a Bruce Springsteen cover band heard them, probably thought they were requesting them to play "Trapped", and came to the rescue.  This act of heroism turns the lead singer into from Springsteen hater to Springsteen lover!  As someone who has been stuck in an elevator before, let me tell you that it's no picnic, and you'll be forever grateful to your rescuers.

Band For Life has made several "Best Graphic Novels of 2016" lists, but, personally, I'd be hesitant to recommend it, as the dialogue can be a bit dense and corny, and the artwork is too chunky for my tastses.  However, it tells a unique story with many characters that get surprisingly fleshed out in under 300 pages.  It's definitely something for the graphic novel reader with discriminating tastes, but might be too challenging for a newcomer to the comics world.

But, still, they referenced Springsteen! Happy 2017!

(And, yes, this is what I've been reading instead of Born To Run, I'm a terrible Springsteen fan.  I assure you I will finish that very soon!)

Great Moments In Springsteen Comic Book History - Men of Wrath #1

Tearing yet another page from the "We'll write about anything" folder, today's post spotlights Men of Wrath, a 2014 comic book written by Jason Aaron, with art by Ron Garney.  Picking up the series on a whim, I found myself very surprised to be greeted with the above quote, found on the inside cover for the first issue.  These brutal lyrics set the tone for the book, which covers the Rath family, and the inescapable violence that haunts their lives.  Interestingly enough, "The New Timer" is about a man working various jobs, including picking peaches, something Tom Joad did in The Grapes of Wrath (creating a connection back to the comic's title).

Admittedly, "The New Timer" is not in my general Springsteen rotation.  In fact, I rarely find myself listening to The Ghost of Tom Joad at all (and I doubt I'm alone in this).  With the 20th anniversary of the album coming up next month, perhaps it is worth going back to for another listen.

Great Moments In Springsteen Comic Book History - Hawkeye #7

I've talked about before how rare it is to talk about comic books and Springsteen, but, time and time again, I have been able to unearth numerous examples of Springsteen's presence in sequential art.  Not so rare is finding the band Kiss in comic book form, although with their marketing you can pretty much find Kiss in any form.  However, it is extremely rare finding a moment where the worlds of Bruce Springsteen, Kiss, and comic books intersect.  Yet, that happened in Hawkeye, issue 7:

Click on the image for a larger version

As someone who grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in Brooklyn, I never got the sense of any rivalry between the state and the borough (in fact, many people rooting for the Brooklyn Nets still live in New Jersey).  However, I'm sure that even our local Kiss army member would agree that any Boss-bashing is grounds for expulsion.

That being said, I'd like to lay some praise on this current run of Hawkeye.  I've only recently discovered it, but have already become an addict.  With witty writing by Matt Fraction and dynamic art by David Aja, every issue is packed with strong characters, good humor, and explosive action.  It has enough nods to the past to satisfy long-time comic fans, but is streamlined enough to be perfect for new readers.  If you are a fan of the television show Archer, I'd highly recommend this book (I mean, read the excerpt above, and tell me you couldn't imagine H. Jon Benjamin saying all of Hawkeye's lines).  While the above scene is from an issue in volume 2, it is best to start with the first volume.