Review
by Todd Garbarini
Rush
is a band that has never taken itself seriously. In the 33 years I have followed The Boys, I
have come to regard them as musicians who have no trouble making fun of
themselves and this is an aspect of their personalities that endears them to so
many of us. The band’s use of the Three
Stooges theme to open many of their concerts since the 1980’s and their amusing
videos that open and close their later tours are proof that they don’t take
themselves seriously.
In
keeping in the spirit of such silliness, David Calcano’s 2015 book Rushtoons by Fantoons Vol. 2112 is a
tongue-in-cheek tribute to our favorite band by some world-class artists who
have created some beautiful cartoons that ape and good-naturedly poke fun at
Rush’s famous album covers, making visual puns and humorous references to
imagery that is as synonymous with Rush’s sound as hair is to Donald
Trump. The 23 talented artists showcased
are Mike Kazaleh, Chris Brubaker, Cristian Garcia, Raciel Avila Silva, Jose
Rodriguez Mota, Samanta Erdini, Angie Pik, Armin Roshdi, Drew Krevi, Juan
Riera, Tone Rodriguez, Camila Velarde, Min Jeong, Benny Jackson, Manuel
Sarmiento, Igor Teran, Gina Rivas, Rene Cordova, Paul Badilla, Rafael Luna,
Carlos Behrens, David Calcano, and Maryam Mahmodi Modhadam. Begun in April 2015 as a Kickstarter project,
Rushtoons by Fantoons Vol. 2112
quickly raised enough capital in 24 hours to become a reality. The final result is well worth the wait.
The
book is separated into seven chapters, beginning with a foreword by RIAB’s Ed
Stenger. Chapter 1 (Roll the Ads) features one of my favorite mash-ups of Corporate
America and Rush: Bill Gates sitting in a chair, pointing a remote control at a
window for Microsoft Power Windows – clever! Chapter 2 (The Torontonian Cartoons) features
artwork that is most closely related to newspaper comics as they are black and
white with no color. The standout – Alex
sitting on a couch in a psychiatrist’s office, upset because “Geddy started
using keyboards!†Chapter 3 (Le Studio
D’Art) brings us back to color with visual puns on the motifs from the albums,
such as the Dalmatian running to a less-than-happy fire hydrant, and the same
dog chasing Neil who is driving a Red Barchetta. My favorite is the “Live Long and Prosperâ€
variant on Grace Under Pressure’s
amazing cover. Chapter 4 (Rushtoons)
features The Boys in comical variations on the Peanuts, Popeye, and even Eddie
Trunk is featured. My favorite explains
Alex’s closed eye on the cover of his 1994 solo album, Victor. Chapter 5 (In the
Mood Pin-Ups) features a cute send-up of the Presto cover with a buxom beauty; “Permanent Weathergirlsâ€; and a humorous
parody of the Hold Your Fire cover as
a nude woman attempts to cover herself (use your imaginations on fire). Chapter 6 (Moving Pictures) encompasses
several nice Star Wars parodies, one
with Paula Turnbull’s turn as Leia in full slave girl garb. The Twilight Zone, The Three Stooges (how
can you not?), Raiders of the Lost Ark
(Indy trying to outrace the Vapor Trails fireball),
Miami Vice and The Terminator are all given the Rush treatment. Chapter 7 (Sugar Rush, The Cereals), the last
section, incorporates cereal box covers: Caress of Milk, Toasted to the Heart,
Permanent Flakes, Milk Under Pressure, Flakes for Echo…you get the idea!
I highly recommend this 170-page book to all dedicated
Rush fans. You can order a copy of Rushtoons by Fantoons Vol. 2112 online here at the Rush Backstage Club.