If you know anything about me, you know that I'm a comic book fan. I especially like reading comics that feature lesser-known and obscure characters. I am the nerd that when everyone talks about Captain America or Wolverine, I can tell you about Omega the Unknown or the Wolfpack. I am also a fan of rock music. So, I thought it would be neat for the last comic review of 2021 to showcase an obscure Marvel comic about a rock band. As such, let me tell you about the beginnings of a band from a depressed steel mill town. Let's look at Steeltown Rockers #1!
The cover is an Alex Jay piece, depicting two of the Rockers playing their instruments on some train tracks. It gives me the feeling of a movie poster, especially with the cover having the tagline "Sometimes a small town band has to play a little louder to be heard."
"Held for Ransom"
Writer: Elaine Lee
Penciler: Steve Leialoha
Inker:
Colorist: Michael Higgins
Letterer: L. Lois Buhalis
Editors: Bobbie Chase, Larry Hama (credited as "consulting editor")
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco
The story begins with seems like a young man named Johnny D playing for an adoring crowd.
The lights are bright, the crowd is cheering, and girls want to throw themselves at the young rock 'n' roller. It seems Johnny D is on top of the world!
However, the reality is...not quite so great. Giovanni Degeastano is knocked back to reality by his mother wanting some scissors. He's been rocking out, fantasizing about one day being able to entertain millions on the stage. She grumbles about his always having his headphones on, saying he wouldn't notice the house being on fire with them on. He jokes he'd smell the smoke and gets a smack for his trouble.
She tells him to get his father, as dinner is ready. Johnny comes down to get him, and finds his father zoned out in front of the TV, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. Like father, like son. Johnny's sister Gina asks his help for something. Her baby needs foot braces to straighten his legs, and the house's mortgage payment is due soon. The family doesn't have much in the way of money, so he's hoping Johnny would help out by maybe putting more of his own paycheck in.
Johnny points out that their father hasn't bothered to look for work since the week after the steel mill closed. It's implied the mill closed down quite some time ago, and Mr. D has been vegging out in front of the TV since. Gina reminds him family helps each other out, but Johnny's still making some payments on his beloved guitar. Gina brings up their presumed brother George, but Johnny reminds her that George is dead...and he's out of here.
As he leaves, Gina yells a girl named Ellen Murphy is coming over. Johnny isn't interested in Gina's attempts to fix him up with a nice Catholic girl. He's going out for a drive. As he drives around town (I recommend playing "Drive" by the Cars for this part), he laments how things have gone so badly. There's no future in this steel town anymore. He starts singing a little song he came up with about the little Steeltown he grew up in. He heads to the music store and plays some "Starway to Heaven", only to get a surprise.
Page 11, Panel 4
I think this is a nod to Wayne's World, but this predated those movies. Johnny is here to see a guy named Tony, only to find somebody playing the guitar he dreams of owning.
Page 13, Panel 1
The owner tells the kid, Mike Johnson, to leave. Johnny really wants this guitar. He's even willing to trade in his old Tokai for it, but the owner can't do it. Business ain't been booming around here, lately. Johnny then meets up with Mike, who wants to hear him play. They drive off together, Mike giving Johnny some critique about his lyrics and his playing. You see, Mike thinks that Johnny has some real talent, but he shouldn't try so hard to imitate Bruce Springsteen. Johnny argues that he's just writing and signing about his life.
They head to Mike's house, where they meet his brother Eduardo "Eddie" Edwards, who is getting ready for a date. The Johnson brothers and Johnny jam together for a few hours. Eddie is impressed with Johnny's guitar skill, but he has a date...and he forgot it. Whoops.
The three youths part ways as friends, talking forming a band. Johnny's all for it, but he wants to head to California. He thinks there's a future there, unlike in this little Steeltown. He goes back to his car, only to discover that his tape deck's been stolen...with his demo tape.
Johnny heads home, where he finds his dad asleep, still in his chair, drink in his hand, and the TV going. The next morning, he heads out for his job at the pizza place. While making a delivery, he hears the sound of a saxophone playing.
Page 29, Panel 5
He discovers that the player is a girl named Sadie Rae Spivey, but she likes to go by "Syd". He then gets his bike stolen and sees a dog eating the pizza he was delivering. You can tell that Johnny is a young protagonist in the Marvel Universe, as he has that Peter Parker luck, ha ha. Syd rides with Johnny on her bike to the bus station, where he cashes in his ticket to California. He has a stop to make at the music store, and he wants to introduce Syd to the band he's helping form: The Steeltown Rockers. The story ends with Syd thinking the name stinks.
I enjoyed this first issue. It felt very different from what Marvel was usually putting out at the time. Young people struggling with real life problems was nothing new for Marvel. Heck, their most iconic superhero had that as his gimmick.
But this wasn't a bunch of superpowered young people struggling in a world of superheroes, gods, monsters, and the like. It is the story of a young man who wanted to escape what he thought was a dead-end town with no future. It does feel identifiable. We've all felt trapped at times, and it can be understood why Johnny Degaestano wants out.
Steve Leialoha's art is...interesting. I think he's trying to bring some "grit" into the art, but the faces seem a bit...cartoony at times in this comic.
I do want to point out that interestingly enough, "Steeltown" is an actual nickname for a city: Hamilton, Ontario. Naturally, it had a history with steel mills. But the "Steeltown" in this story is clearly meant to be, according to the solicit for this issue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Makes sense. Pennsylvania is associated with steel mills.
This comic has never been reprinted in trade as far as I know, so you'll have to scour back issues for this one. I got the miniseries for Christmas.
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