TMR-000542Magazine object
The Face Vol. 2 No. 10
July 1989 · Ruth Joy by Enrique Badulescu · Dapper Dan / River Phoenix / Signal to Noise Part 2
July 1989★ Gold Star object
July 1989 issue of The Face with Ruth Joy photographed by Enrique Badulescu. The issue documents an unusually rich late-1980s cultural intersection: Dapper Dan and Harlem fashion, River Phoenix, Chaka Khan, Ruth Joy at the start of her solo career, and Part Two of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's original Signal to Noise serialisation in The Face.
Read the catalogue note →- Publication
- The Face
- Condition
- Very Good−
- Completeness
- Main magazine appears intact from the supplied front-cover, contents and rear-cover views, but it has not been page-by-page collated. No separately issued premium or supplement has been established from the available evidence.
- Date
- July 1989
Object record
Catalogue note
July 1989 issue of The Face with Ruth Joy photographed by Enrique Badulescu. The issue documents an unusually rich late-1980s cultural intersection: Dapper Dan and Harlem fashion, River Phoenix, Chaka Khan, Ruth Joy at the start of her solo career, and Part Two of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's original Signal to Noise serialisation in The Face.
Why this object matters
Dapper Dan coverage and the original Signal to Noise chapter connect fashion and comics in a substantial contemporary issue. Retain Gold at 9.1, with the Ruth Joy cover adding period specificity rather than requiring a higher score.
Evidence limits: Main magazine appears intact from the supplied front-cover, contents and rear-cover views, but it has not been page-by-page collated. No separately issued premium or supplement has been established from the available evidence.
Score and assessment method
Archive Importance: 9.1 / 10 · Gold Star.
This is a curatorial judgement, not a measurement accurate to one tenth or a market valuation. Read the explanation and its evidence limits together.
How Archive Importance is assessed →Inside this issue
9 selected entries checked against the photographed contents and credits. This is a partial index; page numbers are printed references, not a physical collation.
View the source photograph ↗ · Reviewed 2026-09-11
Phoenix Rising
Subject / model: River Phoenix
Harlem Reborn
Subject / model: Dapper Dan
Pure Joy
Subject / model: Ruth Joy
Noise in the New Age
Writing: David Toop
Latin Summer
Photography: Michel Haddi · Styling: Venetia Scott
Life After Naff
Signal to Noise — Part 2: Occlusion
Creation: Neil Gaiman · Creation: Dave McKean
The Wrath of Khan
Subject / model: Chaka Khan
Research around this object
- Finding Signal to Noise inside The Face — Four contents pages provide a route into a graphic narrative published among fashion, music and club culture.
- Signal to Noise: from Prelude to Conclusion — A seven-issue reading sequence through The Face, June–December 1989, with printed page references and evidence limits.
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Follow the connections
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Connections use the catalogue’s named people, organisations and themes.
Recorded contributions · 6
- River PhoenixSubject / modelSource verified
Phoenix Rising (p. 44). Contents / masthead page — The Face Vol. 2 No. 10
Find other objects with this contribution → - Dapper DanSubject / modelSource verified
Harlem Reborn (p. 50). Contents / masthead page — The Face Vol. 2 No. 10
Find other objects with this contribution → - Ruth JoySubject / modelSource verified
Pure Joy (p. 62). Contents / masthead page — The Face Vol. 2 No. 10
Find other objects with this contribution → - Neil GaimanCreationSource verified
Signal to Noise — Part 2: Occlusion (p. 94). Contents / masthead page — The Face Vol. 2 No. 10
Find other objects with this contribution → - Dave McKeanCreationSource verified
Signal to Noise — Part 2: Occlusion (p. 94). Contents / masthead page — The Face Vol. 2 No. 10
Find other objects with this contribution → - Chaka KhanSubject / modelSource verified
The Wrath of Khan (p. 98). Contents / masthead page — The Face Vol. 2 No. 10
Find other objects with this contribution →