TMR-000547Magazine object
The Face Vol. 2 No. 9
June 1989 · Holly Johnson by Eddie Monsoon · Signal to Noise: Prelude / History of the B-Boy / Marc Jacobs / Lee Miller
June 1989★ Gold Star object
June 1989 issue of The Face with Holly Johnson photographed by Eddie Monsoon at the start of Johnson's successful solo period. The issue is especially important as the first instalment of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's Signal to Noise, headed 'Prelude' and introduced by the magazine as a story created exclusively for The Face.
Read the catalogue note →- Publication
- The Face
- Condition
- Good+ / Very Good− appearance from supplied photographs.
- Completeness
- Main magazine appears intact from the supplied front-cover, contents and rear-cover views, but has not been page-by-page collated. No separately issued free gift or supplement has been established from the evidence reviewed.
- Date
- June 1989
Object record
Catalogue note
June 1989 issue of The Face with Holly Johnson photographed by Eddie Monsoon at the start of Johnson's successful solo period. The issue is especially important as the first instalment of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's Signal to Noise, headed 'Prelude' and introduced by the magazine as a story created exclusively for The Face. It also contains 'The Life and Times of the B-Boy', tracing rap culture with De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and Soul II Soul, alongside early Marc Jacobs coverage, a reassessment of Lee Miller, Julie Burchill and Sandra Bernhard.
Why this object matters
The original Signal to Noise Prelude is a specific first-publication event, reinforced by B-boy history and Lee Miller reassessment. Retain Gold at 9.3; the current copy evidence does not require the higher 9.5.
Evidence limits: Main magazine appears intact from the supplied front-cover, contents and rear-cover views, but has not been page-by-page collated. No separately issued free gift or supplement has been established from the evidence reviewed.
Score and assessment method
Archive Importance: 9.3 / 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
13 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 2026-09-20
Selected headings and printed page references checked against the photographed contents page. Starting pages do not establish complete article spans. Interior collation and unseen credits have not been verified.
The Life and Times of the B-Boy
Jacobs Ladder
Subject / model: Marc Jacobs
Adeva Fever
Thoroughly Modern Miller
Subject / model: Lee Miller
Holly Goes to Yuppiehood
Subject / model: Holly Johnson
Fashion: Wide West
Photography: Enrique Badulescu · Styling: Malcolm Beckford
Ambition: Burchill on Burchill
Writing: Julie Burchill
Queen of Comedy
Subject / model: Sandra Bernhard
Fashion: I-Spy
Photography: Christian Thompson · Styling: Tracy Jacobs
Les Negresses Vertes
Uneasy as ABC
Signal to Noise: Prelude
Creation: Neil Gaiman · Creation: Dave McKean
The contents describes a story created exclusively for The Face by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. The printed heading is Prelude; no part number is added.
Research around this object
- 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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Connections use the catalogue’s named people, organisations and themes.
Recorded contributions · 7
- Marc JacobsSubject / modelSource verified
Jacobs Ladder (p. 42). Contents page — The Face, June 1989
Find other objects with this contribution → - Lee MillerSubject / modelSource verified
Thoroughly Modern Miller (p. 52). Contents page — The Face, June 1989
Find other objects with this contribution → - Holly JohnsonSubject / modelSource verified
Holly Goes to Yuppiehood (p. 58). Contents page — The Face, June 1989
Find other objects with this contribution → - Julie BurchillWritingSource verified
Ambition: Burchill on Burchill (p. 74). Contents page — The Face, June 1989
Find other objects with this contribution → - Sandra BernhardSubject / modelSource verified
Queen of Comedy (p. 78). Contents page — The Face, June 1989
Find other objects with this contribution → - Neil GaimanCreationSource verified
Signal to Noise: Prelude (p. 92). The contents describes a story created exclusively for The Face by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. The printed heading is Prelude; no part number is added. Contents page — The Face, June 1989
Find other objects with this contribution → - Dave McKeanCreationSource verified
Signal to Noise: Prelude (p. 92). The contents describes a story created exclusively for The Face by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. The printed heading is Prelude; no part number is added. Contents page — The Face, June 1989
Find other objects with this contribution →