11/18/2019
More fantasia than rock-star biography, this gloriously over-the-top account of David Bowie’s early career up through the “death” of his alter ego Ziggy Stardust refracts his climb to stardom through the lens of his alien imagination. Allred (Madman ) presents the late 1960s and early ’70s as a glitter-bomb rush of celebrity, glam outfits, and breaking barriers. The pages are packed with the people and works (Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Andy Warhol; 1984 , 2001 , A Clockwork Orange ) that pushed Bowie’s music from sensitive singer-songwriter folk toward the alien dystopias and lovesick outsider ballads that launched him into stardom. The narrative is embedded with a tapestry of sometimes subtle references, from William S. Burroughs to The Twilight Zone . Frequently overwhelming more mundane details of Bowie’s recording and collaborations on albums including Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust is Allred’s art, a full-scale riot of color and sharp angles, with sensually rendered bodies, captivating eyes, and densely surreal montages. The attention to Bowie’s shifting personae unfortunately crowds out much sense of him as a person, giving short shrift to what lay behind the feverish creativity boiling out of him and his drive to continually reinvent himself. Despite an overemphasis on surface imagery, this tribute is a ravishing spectacle. (Jan.)
"I was thrilled and honored to receive an advance copy of BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams. I had no idea what to expect. Being a superfan, I jealously believed that no one could love Bowie like I, that no one knows his songs and lyrics like I do. Ha! This book sure proves me wrong! It was so fun to be taken on a trip through Bowie’s humble beginnings to his super stardom. The images are so gorgeous. It was especially fun to recognize what the drawings mean and what songs the lyric quotes come from. I have A LOT of books about David Bowie. This one is extra special indeed."
"So, does it live up to the hype? Yes, and more so!...This is the best I’ve seen out of the Allreds, as they surpassed an already incredibly high bar. Pick up the book, put on some David Bowie on your listening device of choice, and let Major Tom and Ground Control bring you on a journey! 10/10"
If you are a Bowie fanatic and love Mike and Laura Allred’s art, then you are in for a visual treat down memory lane as we follow the career of David Bowie and his many alter egos. This book is a visually lush account of one of the most eclectic superstars of our times presented beautifully by Steve Horton and the Allreds. Every single page is informative and poster worthy.
Jimmy Palmiotti (Harley Quinn)
"Bravo for BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams ! Horton & the Allreds have captured David Bowie's early years with all the color and spectacle of the period. It is every bit as wondrous as his music, and that amazing epilogue will leave you wanting more. Encore! Encore!"
Roger Stern (The Death and Life of Superman)
"Allred & Company have created a Bowie biography that's as colorful as his persona, as deep and varied as his music, and as cosmic as his life."
"David Bowie, perhaps more than any other figure in Rock music, translates almost flawlessly into a comic book narrative. Not just his life as a performer, but his life as a person....Visually, Allred’s contribution is a tour de force, this is the story he has been waiting years to tell and the payoff is worth the wait...this book is much more than the sum of its amazing parts. While I am admittedly a huge Bowie fan myself, I found this book to be enjoyable beyond my own adoration of the man and his music."
This book is innovative, provocative and endlessly compelling, just like the legend himself. Steve Horton and Mike and Laura Allred have done a sensational job bringing Bowie and the transformative energy of his music to life.
Devin Grayson (Marvel Rising; Nightwing
"Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams is a wonderful love letter to the pop prince that touches on and ponders what made him such a unique, inspirational artistic force. This masterfully orchestrated graphic novel — filled with some of the best art I’ve seen all year"
"This is a book that is best paired with Bowie’s actual music, and since it can’t reprint the lyrics, that’s up to us to provide. Put on your favorite couple of Bowie records (I’d suggest period appropriate ones) and marvel at the visual feast that is this graphic novel. And then buy a second copy so they can do a sequel."
"It might be impossible to pick up 'Bowie' and not be cooler when you put it back down."
"BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams is an absolute dream come true... there have been other books that meld comics with rock and roll. None of them, though, have done it so seamlessly and so attractively as BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams does. For fans of David Bowie, Mike Allred, rock and roll, comics and art, this is a must-have purchase."
Mike Allred and David Bowie are a match made in glam heaven, so much so that BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams feels like the product of a kind of cosmic spontaneous generation, but I know better. I know about the painstaking work Mike, Steve, and Laura put into crafting this magnificent union of sound and vision. It's more than a tribute, more than a biography; it's a signal straight from outer space beamed to Bowie fans of today, and more importantly, tomorrow.
Mike Allred was born to draw David Bowie. The art is so groovy and fantastic, it’s hard to pull yourself away. Through the story, Steve Horton and Allred take you on a magical journey where you almost believe you are looking in on Bowie’s life as it’s occurring. Any Bowie fan will treasure this, and anyone who doesn’t know of Bowie will be a fan after reading this.
Christy Blanch (Tales from the Crypt)
BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams is a gem, a stunning accomplishment that pushes the boundaries of the graphic novel medium, much as Bowie himself pushed the boundaries of music, fashion and culture.
Russell Lissau (Old Wounds
BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams is everything you would expect from a book about the chameleon of rock: Bold, inventive, fascinating! Steve Horton, Mike and Laura Allred captured the essence of David Bowie like no one else did before.
Mike Deodato (Wonder Woman
" Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams is a triumph for Bowie fans and music history lovers everywhere. People who grew up watching Bowie take on the world will wax nostalgic and learn new bits of trivia, and people who latched onto Bowie after the prime of his career will learn all of the amazing ways he crossed paths with movers and shakers of the ’70s and ’80s and ultimately influenced generations of musicians to come. "
02/01/2020
Allred (Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive ) and Horton (Satellite Falling ) track rock-and-roll icon David Bowie's rise to superstardom in the early 1970s in this energetic and gorgeously illustrated graphic biography. After an opening that skims Bowie's early career in the 1960s, the narrative quickly moves to Bowie's decision to reinvent himself as the androgynous extraterrestrial Ziggy Stardust, and to rename his band the Spiders from Mars, in November 1971. The success of the ensuing album, combined with Bowie's charisma, fashion sense, and talent for creating stunning imagery, leads to near-hysterical devotion among fans and a massive world tour that lasts until Bowie abruptly decides to retire the Ziggy persona in 1973. VERDICT Allred's pop art-style illustration, heavily influenced by 1960s and 1970s fashion, pop culture, and psychedelia, is perfectly suited to the era, and his adoration for his subject shines through carefully captured period details and likenesses and lovingly re-created famous photographs and album covers. Most impressive, Allred employs superimposed imagery and surrealistic flourishes to capture the raw energy of live musical performances in scenes depicting Bowie and the band in concert.
