On this week’s edition of The Goggler Pull List, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jim Morrison’s death, we review and recommend Jim Lives: The Mystery of the Lead Singer of The Doors and the 27 Club, the second volume in The Conspiracy Trilogy, by Paolo Baron and Ernesto Carbonetti.
Jim Lives: The Mystery of the Lead Singer of The Doors and the 27 Club (Paolo Baron and Ernesto Carbonetti)
Umapagan Ampikaipakan: I just want to start by saying that Jim lives! I’ve seen him – same hair, same face, occasionally shirtless – indulging in a banana leaf lunch at Sri Paandi in Brickfields. At first I thought it was just another Indian fella enjoying his rice, but then it occurred to me that he’s probably just been hiding out in Kuala Lumpur for so long that he’s got himself a decent tan.
I also saw Elvis at the corner store once.
Bahir Yeusuff: I mean, if Jim Morrison is hitting the banana leaf then he’s okay in my books.
UA: Which kinda gives you an idea of what this comic book is about. Whether it’s Jim Morrison, or Elvis Presley, or John Lennon, we have all heard our fair share of conspiracy theories about their lives, and deaths, and their lives after their deaths. There is something about these icons of music that seems to inspire this sort of speculation. Maybe it was their enigmatic nature. Maybe it was because they were taken from us too soon.
I’m not quite sure why we’re ready to accept the fact that Michael Jackson and Prince are gone, but remain convinced that John Lennon is still living out his later years as a fisherman in Cornwall.
In Jim Lives, much like in their previous work, Paul Is Dead, Paolo Baron and Ernesto Carbonetti cash in on our affinity for conspiracy theories and use it as the basis for an utterly beautiful story about urban myths and why we’re so drawn to them.
BY: I think a big part of it is how differently as a society we react to death. These days, the media can get their hands on coroner’s reports and the like, but back then, not everyone heard of John Lennon’s passing immediately. Or even heard of Paul McCartney’s alleged car accident. There is a mystique attached to it. “There is no way these famous people could have died.” “They mean so much to me.” “I’m sure they’re faking it.”
Elvis’ passing only meant he couldn’t come out to disprove the rumors. There’s a certain warmth in the idea that Kurt Cobain didn’t do what he did and instead went to live out his life in a little Italian coastal town. That Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison are just jamming by the beach somewhere.
It’s also just a great story to tell. The way these guys passed on. Just like how bluesman Robert Johnson made a deal with the devil to be able to play the guitar the way he does. That and the 27 Club just gives it an aura. These guys were already magical and transcendental in the way they lived, why not in the way they died (or didn’t).
I will say that I personally thought that Paul Is Dead was a more interesting idea for a comic. Or atleast a better approach to it. I wish the writers didn’t take such a clandestine approach to the story (trying to avoid spoilers) and left it as just a sweet little ode to a musical genius. But Jim Lives! is still a great fun read.
UA: For anyone who doesn’t know, the 27 Club refers to all those rock and rollers who died at the age of 27. The term became widely known after the death of Kurt Cobain in 1997, with fans connecting his age to that of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Brian Jones. Amy Winehouse died at 27 too.
I think it’s important to note that Jim Lives isn’t a book that concerns itself with any particular conspiracy. This isn’t about the life Jim Morrison led after his supposed death. It is, instead, about something far more relatable. This is the story of the impact of his life on ours. It’s about the relationship between a father and son. It’s about the highs and lows of fame and fortune.
I’m a big fan of both The Beatles and The Doors so it’s no surprise that Jim Lives and Paul is Dead were incredibly emotional reads for me.
BY: I’m more of a Beatles boy myself but I get the respect for Morrison. And this book does that wonderfully enough. It doesn’t require you to be a Morrison fan to appreciate the story being told. As you mentioned, this isn’t about Jim Morrison as much as it is about the chase for the ghost of him and how a son and his father are pulled into that. Jim Morrison is a ghost in this, he is at the periphery, just out of sight of the reader and the protagonists. Even then, this isn’t some life long quest. It isn’t a life affirming search for the man behind the music. It isn’t the protagonists looking to expose him to the world so much as a feeling of figuring out a lost thing to be found.
I can’t think of a better tribute on the 50th anniversary of his death.
I think this extension of his legacy is a great way of remembering a lost legend. I felt Jim Lives does that respectfully, without being dramatic, or sensationalist. It really is a beautiful ode to a man who lived and was, and still is, loved.
UA: This is a graphic novel in which everything just sings. The prose. The art. The colours. The way every page is laid out is nothing short of perfect. It took me ages to read this because I just wanted to pore over everything. Some of it is so beautiful, I swear it moved me to tears.
BY: The book is absolutely gorgeous. The watercolor images are set in beautiful dreamy tones. The way the panels aren’t really panels but rather images that float around the page. It was lofty and light. It was stunning. There is a deceptive simplicity to the art, very much like it was in Paul Is Dead, that really tie these two titles together. I kind of read through it fairly quickly but this is definitely a book that I’ll be going back to.
UA: I loved the way Carbonetti captures the sun soaked vistas of the mediterranean. Those double page spreads are standalone works of art in themselves. But here they add to a dreamlike mood that reflect the lyrics and temper of Morrison’s music. Everything in this book is so well thought out and placed. It is something that could only be made by someone with an intimate understanding of the artist and his work. The stunning detail. They way they weave in the music of The Doors into this study of Morrison’s life. All of it is just so intricately crafted.
BY: I feel like I wanted more from this. Their previous work on Paul McCartney felt more complete. There was a focus away from Jim Morrison that I enjoyed, but a part of me also wished that the book was about Jim Morrison and not so much on the protagonist and the “company” behind it all. It felt like it needed a couple more issues to flesh out and breathe. But that could just be because I’m not as intimately involved with the story of The Doors.
Don’t get me wrong. I thought this book was absolutely beautiful and found the story to be engaging, but I just felt that the focus was on the wrong character.
Did you feel that? Or do you at least see where I’m coming from?
UA: I see where you’re coming from. But they’re also very different works. Paul Is Dead felt like an exploration of the friendship between The Beatles. It was a “What If…” that was rooted in the beautifully collaborative, yet utterly dysfunctional relationship between John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Jim Lives felt more like a cover record in comparison. Morrison’s presence was there, but only in the background. We felt his genius, but only as reflected through other lives.
BY: These are a remarkably interesting series of books though. And being part of a trilogy has really gotten me curious. I love the respect that is given in these books. They aren’t sensationalized stories about the death of a real person or a rehashing of old folk tales. They truly are these beautiful paeans to the effect that these larger than life individuals have on the rest of us mere mortals.
UA: Bring on Volume 3, whatever and whenever that may be!
Follow Us