Paul Stanley (1) (1952–)

This thing is a monster, likely the biggest, heaviest, most unwieldy book I own. But Gene Simmons loves to do things big, and with this book, he succeeds. Physically, it was a bitch to read.

But what about the content? It's broken up into some distinct parts. There's the Marvel years, that are, pure and simple, cheese. The stories are dumb, the artwork is passable, but overall, it's candy floss. The last section, the Dark Horse years, isn't much better. The stories are just about as dumb, show more with the author almost trying to show Marvel how it should have been done, and failing almost as spectacularly. And the art is far too cartoonish for my liking.

But then there's the middle two-thirds of the book. The Image years, where it was the Psycho Circus run. The art is gorgeous, first by Angel Medina and later by Clayton Crain, but--and here I'm going to completely disagree with some of the others--it's the writing that really shines in this section.

Image went where no other company would go. The four mythic KISS personalities are not centre-stage. They aren't the main focus. Instead, they are the eternal gods, the watchers and the gate keepers, meting out punishment and reward as deemed necessary. And for the first time, they do become larger than life, and much more serious than the goofy rock musicians they're modeled from. Through the stories of different, mostly common peoples' lives, the veil is sometimes held aside and we're given a glimpse into the world of the Celestial, the Starchild, the Beast, and the Demon.

I was pleasantly surprised not only by the great writing and the various easter eggs strewn through both the art and the writing, but also by the depth and emotion of these stories...something never seen in any other iterations of the KISS brand.

If the Psycho Circus series had not been included in this collection, I likely would have given it a two, mostly for the actual design and feel of the book, but on the story and art, a one at best. It's the Image content that pushes this all the way up to a four.

But, I gotta say, it was a relief to put this one back on the shelf, though I do believe I did gain a little muscle tone but lugging it around and holding it while reading. show less

It's hard to believe that a guy who pushed everyone away because he was so self conscious about the fact that he had no right ear, would become the (and I do mean THE) greatest front man in rock and roll. While a majority of the book revolves around KISS, you'll get to see more about Paul Stanley than ever before, even if you're a huge fan of the band. Of the four autobiographies that the founding members have released, I feel like this one is the closest to the truth. Paul doesn't hold back show more on his thoughts about everyone, including himself. I can't imagine many KISS fans not wanting to read "Face the Muisc." But if you're a fan of autobiographies, and especially those that focus on people who overcome pretty amazing odds to get where they are, this book is for you. show less

Hands down the best music memoir I've ever read. I couldn't put it down; I read this massive tome in one day. I'm a pretty recent Kiss convert, after seeing them in Indianapolis on their fortieth anniversary tour, I knew I was in love. I had grown up hearing the songs, saw Detroit Rock City, Role Models, etc. But nothing prepared me for seeing them live. They were amazing! So being the librarian that I am, I decided to read more about them. I recalled that Paul Stanley had recently written a show more memoir so I decided to start there. I am soo glad I did. It was the perfect introduction to the world of Kiss. Paul writes about his humble beginnings, his insecurity, the gradual rise to fame, and the internal conflicts. The memoir is peppered with great photographs that help visualize the story. Insanely great. I went from knowing virtually nothing about Kiss to getting a great overview on the history of the band. It also sets the story straight about Peter and Ace, even Gene to an extant. At parts he sounded a little whiney and bitchy about his fellow band members, but it was probably well deserved. A must read for anyone in the Kiss Army. show less

I'm not a huge KISS fan, so it was really just impulse that lead me to get this book from the library. That being said, it was a pleasant surprise. The first few comic collections are pretty decent and you can tell Gene Simmons must be a comic fan. (Harder to tell with the other members of the band).

The KISS Psycho Circus comics are easily my favorite out of the lot. Some of the issues are certainly melodramatic, but they're a great range of stories. Any horror comic fan should give these show more comics a chance.

The "Dark Horse" years aren't bad. Again a tribute to earlier comics they take much more of the "revival" style that's been getting popular lately. Of course, here the revival has a double-meeting as it reflects some of the actual issues the band seemed to have from what little I know of KISS.

My only complaint is I'd rather have seen this as a three volume series. It took a while to read this since I didn't want to be lugging this book around too much. Three volumes would have made it a bit easier to read without worrying about muscle strain ;). show less