It’s not uncommon for teenagers to turn to punk music as an outlet for all that adolescent rage and rebellious energy, but 15-year-old Fergie has a different relationship with punk culture. He’s haunted by the ghost of Sid Vicious in the new series Punks Not Dead, the third ongoing from IDW’s Black Crown imprint spearheaded by former Vertigo editor Shelly Bond. Written by David Barnett with art by Martin Simmonds, Punks Not Dead explores teenage hardship through Fergie’s unbreakable bond with his new ghost sidekick, which is just the start of weird happenings that threaten to derail Fergie’s life. This is the first ongoing comic from Barnett, who works primarily as a novelist and journalist and has done a few short comics in the past, and he’s come up with a concept that is strange and intimate, exploring relatable personal issues with a fantasy twist.
The A.V. Club has an exclusive look at cover art, interior pages, and the solicitation info for Punks Not Dead #1, which goes on sale February 21. While the book’s covers have an in-your-face punk energy, the interior art from Martin Simmonds isn’t as loud, grounding the story in subtle emotion. That said, the first shot of Sid walking through a bathroom wall at the airport is bursting with energy and attitude, with Simmonds capturing Sid’s unruly swagger as he emerges from a blue pool against the red background with beams of text radiating from his head. Fergie is frightened at first, but by the final page of this preview, the two have settled into their new dynamic and are lounging on Fergie’s bed. Simmonds creates a chill, somewhat sad atmosphere on this page, indicating that this book isn’t shying away from the low points of adolescence as it reaches for punk highs.