"Grace, Jerry, Jessica, and Me: Vol. II" by Derek Marks
Details: Fictional and storytelling gold by artist and writer Derek Marks. Volume One of Marks' fictional account of himself as Grace Jones, Jerry Hall, and Jessica Lange's fourth roommate in 1970s Paris and Volume 2 (this volume) includes three new stories. Hilarity and drama ensue.
Description: From Derek Marks: "(1) Crack a Gaze, Bruise A Soul: After leaving a party, Grace, Jerry, and Jessica engage in an alleyway scuffle, only to find more trouble at the next event. Guest-starring Karl Lagerfeld. (2) Dishing: Grace transforms the mundanity of dishwashing into a marvel. Guest-starring Antonio Lopez. (3) JNN: Flash forward to the present day, where Jerry is enjoying the perks of being Mrs. Murdoch and Jessica can't seem to leave her apartment, prompting Grace and Jerry to summon a famous fiend's aid. 7" X 8.5”, 24 pages in full-color, containing (3) stories.
Summary of Volume 1 (sold separately): After discovering Grace Jones, Jerry Hall, and Jessica Lange were roommates in the early 1970s, the Author suddenly travels through time and lands as their 4th roommate." 14 pages with a full-color cover and black and white pages inside.
From the author and illustrator Derek Marks: "After barely escaping Miami, a tragic gay teen goth, Derek Marks lived in the mountains of North Carolina, Albuquerque, and Seattle until settling in NYC. While studying illustration at FIT (Fine Arts Institute of Technology) and dabbling as a singer/synth player in a darkwave parody band, he got his first illustration commission from Clarkson Potter. He lives in New York City and spends his free time pretending he exists in the 1970's adjacent to glamorous hilarity."
Excerpt from a feature that appeared in The Comics Journal: "To be entirely honest, I was sold on this project the moment I found out it existed. But it’s more than just an irresistible concept. Grace #1 is 14 pages of stylish, black-and-white illustrations juxtaposed with gloriously obscene humor. In a running joke inspired by her claim that she once went out dressed only in a necklace, Grace spends the entire issue naked, issuing imperious proclamations like, “I need coke. And cock.” Jessica, the boring, career-oriented one, transforms into a demon. Marks casts himself as an assistant to the great fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez, who was instrumental in all three women’s careers, and his lithe, angular figure drawings feel like a low-key tribute to Lopez’s work. The plot is minimal—everyone is on their way to the club except Jessica, who needs her beauty rest—but the point is the devilishly funny dialogue.
Now Marks is back with a longer, dirtier, decidedly upgraded second issue featuring three new stories. Glossy paper and pastel-tinged, full-color illustrations give it the feel of a fashion magazine whose cover the heroines might have graced in their heyday. The first and best vignette capitalizes on the expanded color palette with a full-page panel of Grace pegging some inconsequential guy with an electric blue, spotted strap-on. “I want to fuck every man in the ass. They need to be penetrated at least once,” she declares, in a line that actually paraphrases a statement from Jones’s memoir. (Later in the same paragraph, she insists, “Everyone can be penetrated—mentally, too.”) A Karl Lagerfeld cameo, some light superhero antics, ample violence against men and a climax that is, well, filthily literal follow. The other two stories, which exploit the humor inherent in Grace Jones performing domestic chores and Jessica Lange buried under every single acting award she’s ever won, are less audacious but equally clever.
I could watch these characters banter forever, so it’s a good thing Marks is already at work on Grace #3, which he says will be more reflective and incorporate the story of his real-life meeting with Jones. Marks has a wicked sense of humor; most of his comics are laugh-out-loud funny, from the droll Fabulous Topless Woman to two issues of a delightful minicomic that recreates the most memorable jokes and non-sequiturs from the ‘90s alt-rockers who visited MTV’s 120 Minutes. But he’s certainly earned the right to experiment a little, and it should be fascinating to watch him transform his loving sendup of three cultural icons into something more serious." - written by Judy Berman for The Comics Journal