Jim Lives: The Mystery of the Lead Singer of the Doors and the 27 Club

Baron and Carbonetti (Paul Is Dead) reunite for a bumpy exercise in rock-and-roll fan fiction. Drawing on the cultural phenomenon of the “27 Club,” which consists of rock stars such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin who died at age 27, Baron follows Jax, a reporter on assignment in present-day Italy who discovers that Doors singer Jim Morrison is still alive. While Jax is held prisoner by those behind the less-than-sinister “conspiracy,” his father, a big Doors fan, embarks on a rescue mission to uncover the truth and bring Jax home. The highlight is Carbonetti’s art, particularly in his mixed-media landscapes, which beautifully show off his technical prowess; his attempts at hyperrealistic characters are less appealing, often twisting what might in context be a friendly grin into macabre rigor mortis. Baron’s (poorly lettered) plot hangs limply from that artistic skeleton, with little at stake (especially after the “mystery” is solved halfway through). Readers are left wondering to whom—besides the most die-hard of classic rock fans—this flight of fancy might appeal. [em](June) [/em]