Comics, From Front To Back...

Andy Partridge makes a fleeting appearance on page 18 of DC's "The Origin Of The Legion Of Super-Heroes", #8, June 1990 - Al Gordon's fandom at work, it seems.

Andy Partridge was well known for many years as a comic book collector, and the influence of the characters and the artwork stayed with him for a long time, informing the music (Science Friction, Braniac's Daughter, That's Really Super Supergirl, etc.) and some of Andy's own art.

Though he had to get rid of his collection upon returning from tour some years ago to find that they'd been largely eaten by mice, Andy's links to the comic-book world have been maintained by Chris Sprouse and Al Gordon who have managed to slip some Partridge/XTC references in to their work from time to time.

Andy supplied some artwork for the 1987 issue of the fanzine Limelight which featured two distinct styles of comic art; the front cover was a glorious pastiche of the British kids' comic style (as found in the Beano, Dandy, Topper, etc.), and the reverse was a line-perfect spoof of the US pulp sci-fi comics of the forties, originally used as a promotional flyer early in the band's career.

The final issue, #9, carried a Marvel-ous Helium Kidz promo flyer, also by Andy, which stole heavily from the sixties superhero comic-book tradition.

Limelight 1987, Back Cover