By Zack Quaintance — This week Titan Comics announced it was publishing a graphic novel adaptation of the film The Man Who Fell to Earth, which starred David Bowie. My first thought (right after, oh dang I have to tweet this) was, Oh this is going to be good because David Bowie comics just work. I mean, look at these fantastic pages from the new book by artist Dev Pramanik.

I also immediately recalled that this wasn’t the first time in recent years we’d seen Bowie in comics form (more on that later, be assured it also rocked). This all motivated me to launch a new Comics Bookcase Semi Investigation, withholding the full investigation designation because all of those pieces have required tremendous time and resources (see Exhibit A and Exhibit B), and this piece — while still Very Important — was more of the commentary nature.

Anyway, my findings on why David Bowie comics just work are after the jump below…

Why David Bowie and Comics Just Works

Before we get into this semi investigation proper, some more info about the new book: due out on October 25, it pairs Pramanik’s artwork with a script by Dan Watters, both of course working together to adapt a 1976 cult movie that is itself an adaptation of a sci-fi novel by Walter Tevis (who also wrote The Queen’s Gambit, btw). Retailing for $29.99, this hardcover book is available for pre-order now. So there, that’s the background. Let’s get into our findings…

Bowie’s Alter-Egos and Redesigns

The most obvious reason that David Bowie and comics works is because Bowie shares much in common with larger than life comics characters. He’s got personas — Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and the Thin White Duke, among others — and he never shied away from a good character redesign to update himself for the times. Just take a look at the different versions of Bowie below:

That’s Bowie in his Silver Age phase, his Electric Bowie phase, and his serious deconstruction phase. He’s a rock star superhero and he conducts himself as such, overhauling his look every few years in keeping with (or ahead of) the zeitgeist of a given era. Plus, all this over-the-top variance lends itself to the illustrated page, not just in the films he did but also when it comes to chronicling his real life, which brings us to the next thought…

Bowie’s Successful Track Record in Comics

This film adaption is not the first time Bowie has appeared in comics, or even the second or third. It’s certainly the most recent (I mean, it’s not even out yet), but just last year, Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams by Steve Horton and Mike Allred landed on my list of the Best Graphic Novels.

This isn’t even Bowie’s first film appearance to make it to comics, with Labyrinth having been adapted to North American comics as well as manga (check out that photo!). David Bowie over the years has appeared in more series than some deep bench superheroes. This full-length graphic novel is more space than has been dedicated to — I don’t know — somebody like Doctor Fate (one of my favorites).

And it’s all different sorts of comics, too. The cartoonist Ned Barnett’s comic Hallo Spaceboy eschews the the Bowie adaptations of life story for a more fantastical inclusion of, with Bowie serving as a guide as Ned explores creativity, identity, and grief.

Yes, comics loves Bowie, and it doesn’t stop there…

The Industry Loves Bowie, Too

Or at least anectdotally, one long-time Vertigo Comics editor certainly does. When I was going on about writing about this piece on Twitter (as I am wont to do), legendary comics editor Shelly Bond revealed that at one point she had taken a meeting with Bowie’s manager about this. Look, don’t take my word for it…check out the relevant Tweet:

Met with his manager years ago with hopes of rolling out the red carpet. Sadly, it never happened. But I was able to leave stacks of great Vertigo books like “Kill Your Boyfriend,” “Heavy Liquid,” “The Invisibles,” and many more. The manager was super nice.
— Shelly Bond, Editor-at-Large (@sxbond) January 28, 2022

My response to this was, what could have been, but friends? I’m very glad with the notion that David Bowie may have read some of my all-time favorite comics. And I’m also glad that the writer of the aforementioned Bowie graphic novel responded to say he wasn’t done with his project either. Not only does Bowie work well in comics, but there are likely more Bowie comics on the way.

And yes, I know this all might seem a little obvious to long-time fans, but it’s worth noting from the comics perspective, as there really isn’t another artist to my mind whose life’s work — in film, music, and biography — continues to translate to the medium so well. I’ve read comics written by musicians (shout out to Gerard Way) and have comics on my shelves about singers from Leonard Cohen to Nick Cave, largely autobiographical in nature. But no one’s mystique has created as much and as varied comics fuel quite like Bowie’s, who lived a life as if he were moving from page to colorful next page.

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.