5 Of The Worst Music/Comic Book Crossovers

Following on from our previous article 5 of the Best Music/Comic Book Crossovers, it felt right to also point out some of the poorer examples of music and graphic novels coming together. From shameless commercial cash-ins, to ego-centric posturing, here are 5 of the worst music/comic book crossovers.

Eminem/Punisher (Marvel)

Punisher is possibly the most ruthless, amoral and overtly violent character in comic history, so it goes without saying that the notion of any character getting the better of him is a rarity. But of course it's exactly what happened when Eminem decided to make a promotional comic book crossover. A confusing story that only seemed to serve the purpose of making Eminem appear as Punisher's superior, it was nothing more than an ego trip that even most Eminem fans found to be pretty absurd.

Kiss Super Special (Marvel)

Kiss aren't so much a band as they are a corporate business. From coffins to condoms, they have pushed the idea of merchandising to daring extremes, and of course that means they have comic books. In fact there are a multitude of them that follow the superhero style rock band through poorly written adventures and clichéd narratives. The only notable thing about the Marvel Super Special Kiss comic books is that the original run was infamously printed with ink containing the band members' blood - a rock'n'roll gimmick that tried to make up for the lack of substance.

Rock'n'roll Comics #31: Vanilla Ice (Revolutionary)

Telling a rather dishonest backstory that was concocted against his wishes by his record label SBK, the Vanilla Ice graphic biography was never going to be anything other than a vacuous piece of additional merchandising. It did nothing to help Vanilla Ice's credibility, but it did further frame him as a goofy, nonsensical and cartoonish character, and it would help perpetuate much of the ridicule Vanilla Ice has received ever since.

Verotik Comics

The lead singer of the Misfits and an '80s metal icon in his own right, Glenn Danzig's musical legacy only just balances out the ridiculous nature of his artistic endeavours since. Starting in 1994, Verotik is his adult-themed comic book publishing company that has produced a wealth of mildly pornographic and gothic music influenced graphic novels that are, by all accounts, low on quality and little more than a self-indulgent outlet for Danzig and his fellows.

Billy Ray Cyrus (Marvel)

Yes, Billy Ray Cyrus, the achy breakey heartbreakey father of Miley, had his own comic book. While most pop star themed comics tend to be biographies in some way, the Billy Ray Cyrus comic was part of the short-lived Marvel Music series of the '90s that adapted pop stars into protagonists within fictional narratives. Some of them are actually quite good, but the Billy Ray Cyrus comic rather bizarrely saw the country singer travelling through time, meeting ghosts and fighting dragons. Fantastical but rather misguided, this one has a firm place in the ‘hilariously terrible’ section of graphic novel history.