The Sunset Strip in the late 1960s and early 1970s was a place of rock and roll excess, celebration, and decadence. The scene was filled with musicians, artists, conmen, and groupies, which is the subject of Helen Mullane and Tula Lotay’s new series from Comixology.
We spoke to Mullane about the inspiration for Groupies, her collaborator Lotay, and why the era was a perfect setting for a story that explores both supernatural and realistic threats to their characters.
What was the genesis of your new series Groupies?
Helen Mullane: Groupies was born out of my finding these old magazines from the seventies, and frankly being a bit shocked by the content of some of the interviews! In it, there were these girls who were so cynical and unromantic, and who saw ‘balling’ rock stars like a competitive sport. It sent me down a rabbit hole of groupie interviews and autobiographies that made me realize how flat and unrepresentative our cultural picture of groupies really are. I became really fascinated by this diverse group of women, some of the most glamorous, hip and forward thinking girls of their age.
In terms of the era and setting for Groupies, why did you pick Hollywood in the late 60s?
Mullane: For me, the mid sixties to early seventies was the heyday of the groupie dream. It’s the free love era, they were part of the zeitgeist. Frank Zappa used to call them the vanguard of the sexual revolution. There’s a lot that hasn’t happened yet, and so it was in some ways an innocent time. The more deeply embedded the rockstar / groupie dichotomy became in the rock scene, the darker it all got. By the time you get to the eighties it’s all so harsh and bereft of romance I didn’t feel that there would be enough contrast between the scene and the Muse.
There is obviously something sinister and supernatural going on in the story that readers will discover, but a lot of the danger to the women also feels realistic. How do you combine both elements?
Mullane:I think one informs the other. The muse, this supernatural creature, is a threat to everybody, but there are more down to earth dangers lurking around this tour. Exploitation, dehumanization, these are real and present dangers. There is always a possibility that any girl could be mistreated, or thrown away. And I’m interested in these amazing women who are just so passionate about the scene, about music, and don’t care if that means they are going to be judged harshly by society. They are living their groovy lives, no matter what the consequences.
How does Tula Lotay’s painted artwork add to the atmosphere of Groupies?
Mullane: I would go so far as to say Tula’s painted artwork is the atmosphere of Groupies! What she’s achieved in this book is astounding. It’s so dreamlike, and so dangerous. She’s done an incredible job of permeating danger throughout the whole book.
And then the sexiness of it all, wow! Her designs are beautiful, the colors are so rich and bordering on lurid in an amazing Technicolor way, and she’s entirely unafraid to really go there with both the sex and the horror.
Thoughts on Tula’s recent work with Scott Snyder on Barnstormers and Becky Cloonan on Somna? Any inspiration from those or was Groupies in production well before they were released?
Mullane: Both those books are absolutely beautiful. I’m a fan! The timelines for comics can sometimes be longer than you might think, so we started Groupies during the production of Barnstormers, before Somna.
Upcoming projects?
Mullane:I recently did a project with Amilcar Pinar and Tom Delange called Lifeforms with Z2. It’s utterly nuts and Amilcar’s art is unreal. That should be out soon. And I have a new graphic novel that is hopefully announcing imminently. Watch this space! @Supermegabot
Groupies #1 is currently available from Comixology on Amazon.
