my chemical romance ap 197 gerard way

My Chemical Romance debut AP issue reimagined by Gerard Way returns

At the beginning of 2013, we here at AP realized we were closing in on 300 issues. We pondered what we were going to do that would make that month really special, like our previous “big number” anniversaries. We planned to do a bunch of different artists for a commemorative series including My Chemical Romance, but a conversation with Gerard Way turned it upside down.

The frontman told us that AP was the first American magazine to put his band on the cover. He pitched the idea of doing a creative rehaul of the piece involving everything from collage and paint techniques, random slogans and the creation of a cyberpunk short story on top of the pages where the band interview went. It was audacious, ambitious and admittedly trepidacious. It was also cool AF. 

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Way had us sold, so we let him run wild with his vision (and apologized to the other bands we originally solicited to participate). The original My Chemical Romance issue had been out of print for years, so we ran Leslie Simon’s original story (AP 197, December 2004) right after Way’s redux so new fans could revisit that part of the band’s history.

Now for a short time, we’re reprinting a limited run of AP 300 in AP’s current large-format on glossy premium paper stock. You get the original AP 197 cover story, Way’s visual “remix” found in AP 300 (July 2013), as well as great pieces on THE MAINE, MAN OVERBOARD, THE FRONT BOTTOMS, A.W. (FORMERLY KNOWN AS ALLISON WEISS), FIDLAR, FRANK TURNER and so much more.

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Perhaps you’re an MCR fan who missed out on the original issue or you had an evil mail carrier who absconded with your original copy six years ago. Here’s a chance to revisit and own a great piece of history that belongs to one of the most beloved bands of the 21st century put together by a group of their biggest fans. Where there’s a will, there’s a Way, and the fire never dies…

Grab your copy of Way’s reimagining of AP 300 here or below.