I’ve discussed many of the ways that comics and rock and roll have intersected over the years, but there’s one particular type I’ve forgotten to mention ’til now: The blatant cash-in.
The Monkees were the hottest thing around in 1967, with a hit TV show, a bushel of top 40 hits, and their own successful comic book from Dell. Never ones to miss a potential bandwagon, DC Comics produced these three issues of Showcase in an attempt to grab a piece of the clearly lucrative “wacky band” market. The Maniaks are a group of musicians that gallivant about, doing… Well, doing pretty much everything except playing music and actually being a band. Each story follows a different formula, having only the lead characters (and a singular lack of purpose) in common. The art seems to work in fits and starts, and the writing is passable at best: the characters are assigned an instrument and a defining trait, seemingly at random. The lead singer, Silver Shannon, is a money-obsessed glamorous go-go girl. Jangles is the guitarist, as well as a talented mimic who can create all manner of sound effects with his voice. Pack Rat is the drummer, as well as a junk collector and amateur inventor. And Flip is the band’s bassist. And also an acrobat/contortionist. It’s all very hip and swinging in the awkward fashion that DC comics epitomized in the 60s, fashions and lingo trying desperately to convey coolness while actually seeming contrived and hopelessly backward. There are some comics that are so clueless that they’re charming. This is not one of those.
Their first appearance (Showcase #68) involves a battle between a bunch of mobsters that happens to take place at Pallisades Park, while the Maniaks are attempting to escape screaming hordes of fans. The band gets caught up in the gangwar, the hoods converse in overly-decriptive Runyon-speak, hijinks ensue. Two songs are performed in the issue, one a parody of the Monkees’ “Last Train To Clarksville”, one a ballad sung by Silver about how great it is to find a sugar daddy. And it ends with a direct plea for sales from the characters to the comic-reading public.
Showcase #69 followed two months later, picking up The Maniaks’ adventures as Silver gets engaged to a billionaire, hoping to achieve her gold-digging dreams of becoming fabulously wealthy. The band perform one song in the issue, at an empty Shea Stadium– it turns out that said billionaire bought out the performance, so he and two friends could enjoy it undisturbed. And then, nothing of note happens for a lot of pages. The story closes with Silver walking out on her fiancée (realizing that she wanted him for richer but not for poorer), and in the final panel there’s another pitch for readers to buy Maniaks issues “by the ream, man”.
And then, with Showcase #71, the oddity tops itself. The rock band concept is nodded to at the very beginning, then disposed of as the four leads work with up-and-coming director/playwright Woody Allen to stage a musical about the deep south and the Civil War. Yes, you read that correctly. A lot of songs are performed in this issue, all trite parodies of classic showtunes, none even vaguely rock and rolling. There’s some celebrity caricature cameos, a lot of costume changes, and not one moment of sense or logic. As a curiosity, it’s unparalleled; as a comic, it’s pretty worthless.
Given the pedigree of the creators, I find it difficult to understand what went so horribly wrong with this title… Mike Sekowsky did fine work for DC for many years (particularly on Wonder Woman and Justice League Of America); writer E. Nelson Bridwell wrote many classic parodies for Mad Magazine, and had a long and storied career at DC, creating The Inferior Five, The Secret Six, and Angel And The Ape (which I wrote about here). Something here just failed to gel, no matter how the elements were shuffled issue to issue.
And come to think of it, from a certain perspective, it’s a “Behind The Music” tale that could be the story of many bands: The Maniaks rocked for a few brief moments, tried on some different styles, dragged on for longer than they should have, and then faded away into silence.
The Maniaks appeared in DC’s Showcase #68, #69, and #71. They have never been reprinted, but can be found inexpensively at your local comic shop or on eBay.
All articles in the Pop Music Comics series can be found here.
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