Comic Review: Punks Not Dead #6

Punks Not Dead #6

Black Crown

Writer: David Barnett

Artist: Martin Simmonds

Punks Not Dead is maybe the series I look forward to the most every month. It’s a fun concept and so far they’ve executed it well. A British teen gets the spirit of dead punk Sid stuck to him. There’s a whole paranormal world out there and a government department to deal with it. It’s fun and gives me a good reason to listen to the Sex Pistols every now and then. Not that you need any reason to listen to them. But it helps set the tone for this book.

Punk’s Not Dead #6 sees this first arc, “Teenage Kicks”, come to an end. Things seem to be looking up for Fergie before it all comes crashing down. By the end of the issue, the police and the Department of Extra Usual Affairs are looking for Fergie, prompting him to go on the run. With a guitar on his back and punk/ghost Sid at his side, he’s on the road to London.

I liked this issue. It feels slow going but kicks it into gear towards the end. David Barnett does a great job with the dialogue and the characters. There’s a good amount of background story for side characters that we haven’t gotten before. The issue is good, but the way everything kind of happens in the last few pages make the rest feel slow. Things go from 10 to 60 real quick.

The art by Martin Simmonds is fantastic as always. It’s got that punk feel to it. Regular people and things look a little dull, but that only makes anything paranormal stand out more. Everyone looks fine, don’t get me wrong, just plain. Some backgrounds and colors look plain and don’t catch the eye as much. Sid has a ghostly glow about him though, compared to Fergie. I’m not complaining though, I really dig it, and it all fits the style and theme of the book.

Punks Not Dead is and has been a consistently fun book. For the sake of giving us more background and information about the other characters, this particular issue does feel a little slow. But what we are shown is interesting, and there’s a lot of promise for what’s to come. This is a good end to the first arc, in a book that I very much enjoy.