Rush’s ‘A Farewell to Kings’ LP Chronicled in New Graphic Novel
Fantoons, an L.A. studio known for creating rock-themed animation, has released a new full-length graphic novel that chronicles the making of Rush’s 1977 prog-rock classic, A Farewell to Kings.Spanning 144 pages, fully authorized by the band, and based on interviews with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and Kings producer Terry Brown, the richly illustrated comic offers a detailed account of the writing and recording of the LP that contained future Rush classics like “Closer to the Heart” and “Xanadu.”
The Making of ‘A Farewell to Kings’ tells the story of how the band followed up its 1976 breakthrough LP, 2112, with another masterpiece of hard-hitting, epic-scale rock. The story follows the writing and recording of the album in two peaceful settings — a rural Ontario farmhouse, and Rockfield Studios in the Welsh countryside, respectively — jumping back and forth between that period and the present, as the members and Brown narrate the story. David Calcano and Lindsay Lee wrote the text for the book, while Juan Riera, Ittai Manero, and Lee contributed the stylized yet lifelike artwork.
“I loved the material, and each time we caught a great take, whether it was drums, bass, guitar or a vocal, we got ‘that buzz,’” Brown writes of the Kings sessions in the book’s foreword. The guys were so focused on delivering concise parts and performances that I knew we were making a very special album in A Farewell to Kings.“
The Making of ‘A Farewell to Kings’ continues Fantoons’ ongoing partnership with Rush, a collaboration that has produced everything from a Rush coloring book to a puzzle featuring a cartoon image of bassist-vocalist Geddy Lee dressed up as the Mona Lisa. The book is available now via various online outlets, including Rush’s Backstage Club and the Fantoons Etsy page.
In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Lee definitively stated that there’s no chance that Rush will tour again, but that some of the members might eventually collaborate on a future project.
