Savoy Books: Sinister Legends

		Sinister Legends Kris Guidio 1988 b/w & colour art 310mm x 234mm Soft covers First publication 112pp ISBN 0 86130 071 8

An embryonic collection in black-and-white and colour by The Cramps' favourite artist. Here, Guidio's nascent art style is just starting to boil before reaching its full madness and maturity a couple of years down the line in the Lord Horror and Meng & Ecker comics. There's a lot in Sinister Legends that gives sheer pleasure. Kris pays tribute to his punk heroes and heroines, Patti Paladin, Johnny Thunders, Lou Reed, Marc Almond (Aubrey Beardsley-style), and others. Contains the full collection of Tales From the Cramps from Lyndsay Hutton's magazine The Next Big Thing, plus new work on the band. Lord Byron casts a giant shadow. Fiction, poems and opinion by Kris as well as occasional lighter touches like a charming birthday sketch for a young friend and a 12pp interview by Michael Butterworth make up an enchanting personal collection. A book of heroes gone but not forgotten.

After wasting a day—and several protracted discussions—driving from Manchester to Bristol to deliver the finished art for printing, J W Arrowsmith Ltd wrote to us refusing to, "undertake the production...as we believe it conflicts with our conditions of contract, Clause 14, on the reverse of our estimate, and may be of an illegal nature". The difficulty of getting many of our books produced is highlighted by this title.

There's more about the Big Beat Maestros in Savoy's lovingly compiled anthology The Cramps.

• See the Orders page for purchase details.

"The best piece of Rock comic art in many a blue moon, and deserves to be seen by as many people as possible."

BARRY LAZELL, Sounds (On Guidio's Cramps strips)

"Bleak but powerful visions from the outer limits of Rock 'n' Roll..."

BILL HARRY, Idols

"Name dropping sometimes has a point to it. For instance, if I were to list: Lou Reed, Roky Erickson, Iggy Pop, The Cramps and Marc Almond, you'd get some insight into the sort of person Kris Guidio probably is. Stir that little lot up with heroin addiction, death fixation and an admiration for '50s and '60s American schlock TV and the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley and you have a portrait of someone who is probably fated to be a Rock'n'Roll fantasy comic artist."

KNAVE