Rock & Roll Biographies: Oingo Boingo # 1 (2021)
Writer: Michael Aushenker
Artist: Carlos Etcheverry
Rating: 
For this week’s installment of “Review Corner”, I’m going to take a look at “Rock & Roll Biographies: Oingo Bongo # 1” from Acme Ink.
When I saw this at my LCS, I was instantly drawn to this title by the cover alone which had a really vintage yet surrealistic feel to it, and once I began reading it, this series really brought in that “Down the Rabbit Hole” feel to it but it also helps you enjoy reading the group’s story instead of making it feel so uninterested. I really did enjoy that approach that the creative team took with that angle because it really made it entertaining. Oingo Boingo was formed by Danny Elfman first as a street theater troupe known as “The Mystic Knights of The Oingo Boingo” and when that ran its course, the group was then reformed as a rock band, shortened the name to Oingo Boingo, and began using Ska, Rock, and Pop in their music.
The series then begins chronicling the group’s work ethic in terms of making their albums, dealing with their record labels (They have been signed to I.R.S., A&M, MCA, and Giant Records in the course of their careers), scoring big with the timeless hit “Weird Science” which was used in the 1985 John Hughes movie. Within these pages, we also got to witness Danny Elfman began his now glorious career in scoring movies and T.V., notably in scoring such big hits as Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Batman and Batman Returns, Spider-Man, and of course, the theme to The Simpsons. The series then get into the group’s final years and I really enjoyed seeing how the rest of the members went off and build successful careers from themselves due to the shift of Alternate and Grunge rock in 1994.
Honestly, I really liked how Oingo Boingo’s story made for a great comic as this group’s story didn’t feature any use of drugs or the typical clashing of egos that comes with any band. It was the love of creating such wonderful music that resonates with their fan base as well as any music enthusiast who may discover their music with this issue. Although the weirdness of the book’s set-up is so out there it brings with it a unique charm, and this was a totally perfect way to celebrate Oingo Boingo and their contribution to the world of music.
Well, that’s it for me. I’ll be back with another review (And it will be an indy review); Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.
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