FAME: Lady Gaga & Robert Pattinson Hit Stores Tomorrow

They are two of the most recognizable celebrities today - Twilight actor, Robert Pattinson, and music sensation, Lady Gaga. And now they are the subjects of the latest biography comics released by publisher, Bluewater Productions. Fame: Lady Gaga and Fame: Robert Pattinson hit comics shops across the country this week, on Wednesday, June 9^th, retailing for $3.99 each. They are also available online at Amazon.com. The comic gives fans of both celebrities a chance to trace their favorite stars' rise from obscurity to fame.

Take Pattinson, for example: Few of the actor's fans today realize that, long before he was vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies, Pattinson was an unknown stage actor in England. In fact, his first performance came in Tess of the D'Urbervilles at London's Barnes Theater.

Lady Gaga had a similar career path. She got her start singing in bars and nightclubs before becoming an international celebrity.

Writer Kimberly Sherman and artist Nathaniel Ooten brought Pattinson's story to life. "I love having the ability to introduce high-profile people to readers through an unexpected medium that is both written and visual,” Sherman said. “These biography comics are designed to illustrate interesting tidbits to fans about their favorite figureheads, and inspire them to learn more. I chose to conceptualize A-lister Robert Pattinson from a unique perspective, immersing the reader in the life of the talented actor beyond his most famous role.”

Writer Dan Rafter and artist Kristoffer Smith tackled the Lady Gaga comic.

"Lady Gaga is a different sort of celebrity. So when writing a biography of her, I didn't want to resort to putting out a straight celebrity biography," said writer Dan Rafter. "Instead, I wanted to take a look at how Lady Gaga's fame could impact even the most unlikeliest of individuals. I figured this approach will be different from people looking for a straight biography, but I just couldn't bring myself to not try something a little different with Gaga.

“Even if you don't particularly like her music, you have to admit that there's something special about Lady Gaga,” Rafter said. “She's a master of attracting attention. Is she just a 'flash in the pan' or a singer who'll be around for the long haul? I have no idea. But she's certainly making an impact while she has the chance.”

Fame: Lady Gaga and Fame: Robert Pattinson are part of Bluewater Productions' much-publicized biography line of comic books. Past Bluewater biographies have turned such varied figures as Nelson Mandela, Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, and Barbara Walters into comic book stars. Upcoming biographies will detail the lives of 50 Cent, David Beckham, and Kristen Stewart.

“Each of our biography comics takes a different approach in bringing our stars' stories to life,” said Darren G. Davis, president and founder of Bluewater Productions. “You'll see that in these comics, as writers Kimberly Sherman and Dan Rafter took very different approaches to highlighting the careers of Lady Gaga and Robert Pattinson.”

If you're going to start a line of biographical comic books devoted to 'culturally relevant celebrities and pop-culture icons,' Lady Gaga is probably a good choice to inaugurate the series.

- New York Times

© C Harris Lynn, 2010