Spotlight: RUN BY THE GUN #1

Nobody’s ever made their daily bread making music or comics without working that grindstone. You gotta put in your time and take your hard knocks and then maybe, just maybe, you can get sampled by Jay-Z. Am I right, Strouse & Charnin? Rey Miranda and artist Brian Hardison are so hardcore, they’ve taken on both art forms–rock and comics–for the audio-visual mayhem that is Run by the Gun.

Not only can you read about the formation of a band in Run by the Gun (first issue’s free on Graphicly, by the by), you can also listen to their music (Miranda produces and Zambia Greene sings) on a full length album called The Misanthrope. They’ve got a classic rock feel here, with a working man’s angst that speaks of terrible things happenings on pool tables. According to Miranda, the plan is to produce new Run by the Gun albums and comic story lines in tandem, the progression and evolution of the music mirroring the characters’ journey through the books. It’s an interesting concept, and it benefits from the comic being really strong with some beautiful black and white art.

Peter Palermo is the kind of passionate musician who’d endeavor to rock even if all he had handy was a kazoo. His straits aren’t quite so dire as all that, but he’s got to act soon if he wants to make a life in music while supporting his burgeoning new family. Turns out quitting your current band at the 11th hour of a contract negotiation with a legit label isn’t a wildly popular choice when you’re trying to ease your pregnant wife’s frustrations.

Abandoning his band on the cusp of a soul-sucking record deal, Peter turns to his old pal Jonah Gunn to start on a new rock odyssey. Jonah doesn’t owe Peter any favors at this stage in their friendship, and he’s wary to trust the desperate guitarist. Really, Pete’s just getting in the way of a more immediate concern: the tattooed girl who he keeps seeing around town in bars and at gigs. But if it seems like this dream girl is following Jonah out of any romantic interest, it’s completely unintentional.

Because, well…

It’s going to take something monumental for Jonah and Pete to get together on this musical partnership.

Something explosive.

It’s not that. But that part’s pretty cool for other reasons. Pete and Jonah both get into some heated encounters in this first issue, and the fists do fly. But what rockstar doesn’t have a few busted ribs and rage fantasies every now and then?

For anyone who’s ever wanted to make a buck doing what they love, playing what they wanna play and drawing what they wanna draw, Run by the Gun is just the frenzied rock saga the doctor ordered. These guys are just starting, but it looks like they’re gonna earn their calluses.

Check out a preview of Run by the Gun #1 from Graphicly.