‘Groupies’ is a Female-Driven Fever Dream About the Cost of Fame and Fandom
Now available in stores as a Mad Cave GN this February 10th
What works about Groupies is that it sells itself like a fantasy you already think you understand. Sex. Drugs. Rock and roll. Endless nights on the Sunset Strip, bleeding into mornings no one remembers. Hell, it even comes with a Spotify playlist. Originally released as a Comixology Original and now headed to Mad Cave, this upcoming graphic novel feels similar to the allure of Almost Famous or Suspiria. But that’s the trick. Groupies isn’t here to romanticize obsession. It’s here to expose how, beneath it all, there is a slow, unsettling power dynamic to music fandom. Women’s role in being key to it all, these stories are all inspired by true-life tales taken from interviews and accounts of real women groupies who existed outside the spotlight.
Created by writer and filmmaker Helen Mullane and illustrated by the endlessly talented Tula Lotay, the founder of Thought Bubble, Groupies reframes the mythology of rock culture through a distinctly female lens. Less about the bands or even music, but rather, the pursuit of being a part of that chase; the cost of wanting to belong to something glamorous and alive.
This book… is their story, with each chapter focused on a different female character living a life in the pursuit of feeling alive. The insecurities and unrequited love. A tale not always about the band, but of the people in the circle, and the dark sides of what living this lifestyle costs.
It follows a group of girls who meet an up-and-coming band on a wild night at the Fox Club. When the band signs with the legendary Asmodeus Records, the girls hit the road with them, living the fantasy. But it doesn’t take long for things to escalate and go terribly awry, and after all the fun times, we learn something darker is at work, pulling strings just out of sight.
As put by writer Helen Mullane:
“Groupies is a deeply personal book, born from mine and Lisa’s shared obsession with pulp horror, music, and the strange contradictions of being a woman in the world. We wanted each girl’s voice to shine through—because groupies aren’t just muses or clichés, they’re complicated, messy, and real. I’m thrilled to be teaming with Mad Cave for the print release, giving readers the full, woozy experience of Tula Lotay’s stunning art—plus some new extras that make our trippy, dangerous world even richer.”
And followed by Eisner-award winning artist Tula Lotay:
“Groupies has been a labour of love for Helen and I. We both share so many interests in horror and music of the time. She had me pulled in at ‘what if the satanic panic is real, and we follow a group of badass Groupies finding that out’. That era is so rich with dark stories anyway. Throw psychedelics and some Argento colours into the mix and you have a story we both couldn’t wait to get out there.”
The result is a comic that’s seductive, fem-focused, and dreamy. And yes, this is greatly in thanks due to Lotay’s art, but also, because of all the drugs and pretty colors. What makes this book appealing to me is that it was a multi-year project based on real women’s stories, with distinct voices and dalliances within each chapter. The book isn’t trying to glamorize rockstar living, and if anything, there are entire segments that fictionalize in its demonization.
So honestly, if you liked DSTLRY’s SOMNA, you’ll probably feel right at home here. As their creative and editing teams are similar, with Will Dennis on both. Though trigger warnings for all the drugs, sex, and psychedelic demon channeling.
Here are some preview pages. Go and read this one.
Christian Angeles is a writer and entertainment journalist with nearly a decade of experience covering comics, video games, and digital media. He was senior editor at The Beat during its Eisner Award–winning year and also served as managing editor of The Workprint. Outside of journalism, he writes comics and books.
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