Jack King was a rock’n’roll god who projected a stage persona on par with the devil. Jack has died leaving a legacy and a widow in Cindy. Black Tape #1 delivers a debut focused on grief, the parasitic nature of celebrity, and something a bit more ominous.

Written by Dan Panosian, Black Tape #1 is an interesting debut mainly focused on a grieving widow and teasing what has happened and what’s to come. Through Cindy, we learn about Jack and his larger than life persona. He’s a true rockstar but one who wanted to move on from it all. Panosian hints at dissatisfaction with his label and an attempt to pivot from the life Jack was living to something else.

And that pivot is one of the more intriguing aspects of Black Tape #1. Jack lived the rock star life. We’re shown some performances, there’s the “party” after his funeral. But, it’s through Cindy we learn he wanted something different, we just don’t know exactly what. He wanted to release a new album with a different direction outside of his label. We get hints that he was leaving the hard parting to the past when he met Cindy and changing his ways. But the world Cindy presents and what we see around her are two different things setting up a story of discovery to come.

The art by Dalibor Talajić with color by Ive Svorcina and lettering by Steve Wands is excellent. It mixes the grief and the rock and roll well delivering a look that has a slight dirge aspect to it. There’s a haunting look to the comic that fits well with a woman mourning the loss of her husband but also the aspects hinted at as the first issue wraps up. The funeral after party too is presented well showing some excess without being a distraction to the reader. Like Cindy’s experience there’s a slight disconnect and wall between the focus and the world not far away.

Black Tape #1 might open with a focus on loss and a feeling of dirt with entertainment vultures but it ends with an intriguing mystery and direction that’ll leave readers wanting answers to. A solid debut that isn’t so much about the music dying, instead it hints at the exploitation that comes after.

Story: Dan Panosian Art: Dalibor Talajić
Color: Ive Svorcina Letterer: Steve Wands
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

AWA Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

---

Purchase: Amazon – comiXology/Kindle