Issue 59: Winx Band

Winx Band is the fifty-ninth issue of the Winx Club Comic Series.

Synopsis
A new professor arrives at Alfea, eager to teach the school's fairies of how to overcome any shyness they may have to control how people perceive them. The new professor, Professor Pikass, urges for the girls to perform for a talent show to overcome their shyness and the Winx decide to form a band to do so. Not only is their band a hit at the talent show, but they manage to score a record deal too! The girls quickly become famous rock stars across Magix, but with their fame comes hardships, as the girls can barely find time to hang out with their boyfriends and keep their grades above failing. With more and more stress building up, the Winx try to find some way to get out of their record deal and return to their lives as being students.

Plot
One morning at Alfea, Musa rushes into the main room of her dorm with the Winx, where she tells them that there is going to be a new professor teaching at the college. She tells them that this new professor will be teaching the girls of Alfea about entertainment and communication, which Stella finds confusing as she does not understand what those things will have to do with becoming real fairies. Musa claims that they will have to learn how to make positive impressions on people and tells the girls that Headmistress Faragonda will explain everything once they are called into the main hall the next day. Tomorrow quickly arrives and all of the students are gathered in the main hall, where Faragonda introduces them to their new professor: Professor Pikass. She then lets Pikass explain to the girls what he thinks they will gain from his class. Pikass explains that he believes that it is important for the girls to learn how to control how people perceive them; whether they are shy and reserved or boisterous and full of energy. He hopes to help the girls overcome any shyness and fears of performing and Faragonda then announces that the girls will have to divide themselves into groups, where they will have to come up with any type of performance they want to do. Once each and every group has their performances ready, the Alfea Fairies and the Cloud Tower Witches will face off in a type of competition and the group that wins will not only get high marks, but they will also win a trophy to show for it.

After being dismissed, Clarice tells her friend that she did not understand what they will be doing. He friend is upset that they will still have to keep up with their studies until Trista and Alice run up from behind them. Trista suggests that they perform as a theatre group, but Alice's friend is scared over how embarrassed she will get. Alice tells her that she has to perform with them as a fairy since that is the reason they are all taking Pikass' course. Trista then changes her idea from a theatre performance to a dance show and Alice suggests that they could try performing as a choir group. Stella and Bloom, who are heading back to their dorm overhear Trista, Alice and their friends pitching ideas, and Stella asks Bloom what they should do for their act. Bloom is still unsure as this is all a big surprise to her, and Stella suggests that they could act out a cinematic scene, believing that she would make a great actress. Tecna openly expresses her disdain for the idea and Musa, who walks away with Flora and Aisha, tells the girls to remember that their date with their boyfriends is in a half hour. Soon enough, the girls head down towards Musa's Pavilion, where they walk in on the Specialists practicing. As they enjoy their performance, Stella comes up with the idea that she and the girls perform as a rock band for Pikass' course, since rock bands are so popular with people their age. All of the Winx seem to be in favor of the idea, until Brandon claims that he cannot picture Stella handling a guitar. Stella asks why he thinks so and Brandon claims that girls do not perform in rock bands because it is a "guy's thing." Stella tells Brandon that girls can do whatever they want and that if they want to form a rock band, then they can do so. Bloom agrees, still wondering why girls supposedly cannot be in a rock band and Tecna claims that the boys are just being presumptuous. Stella turns to ask the Winx if they like the idea of the rock band and even pitches the name of the band to them: the Winx Band. All of them are in favor of the idea and the name and cheer.

Not before long, all of Magix is seemingly buzzing with activity. At Cloud Tower, the Trix are practicing, planning on performing a tragic scene in a play. Icy is complaining about the long robes she has to wear and how sweaty it is making her until a couple of other Cloud Tower witches tell them that it is their turn to use the stage now. Icy tells the girls that their performance is a lot more difficult than theirs and she promptly demands to know what the couple of witches will be doing. One of the witches tells them that she and her friend are going to practice for a dance number, supposedly called the "Macabre Dance," and Icy reluctantly hands the stage over to them.

At Alfea, the students are also practicing their respective performances. One group is not making much progress with their acrobatic circus idea and two of the girls that have fallen suggest that they should come up with an easier, less dangerous act. Back at Musa's Pavilion, Stella and Bloom are trying to figure out how to plug in the amplifiers as Flora practices with an already plugged in guitar. Stella asks why they cannot just use magic to connect the amps but Bloom insists that she just follow the colors of the plugs and outlets like Musa taught them. Stella eventually finds an outlet to plug the amp into, but it is the wrong outlet and she shocks herself. Flora, Bloom and Tecna rush to Stella's side to see if she is alright. Stella insists that she is fine and that she has learned that the plug she has does not go into that outlet. Musa rushes over and puts the plug into the correct outlet, urging the girls to try practicing. However, as they try to play their instruments, they sound terrible. Stella asks Musa how they are doing, to which Musa tells her that they are doing terribly. She tells Stella to follow the rhythm that she taught her and advises her not to skip notes this time. Stella does so and she is sounding better on her guitar. Musa then urges Flora to try playing next. In class the next day, Pikass tells his class that every tiny detail of their performances must be planned, including the outfits they wear. He suggest that these outfits need to reflect each girl's personality and the designs must be easily recognizable to the public. Bloom whispers to Flora over how boring she finds the class to be and asks her what she is doing. Flora tells her that she is studying music since they need to learn how to play well for their band. Stella suddenly jumps into the conversation, telling the girls that Professor Pikass is right about the outfits and she shows Bloom and Flora the designs she already has down. She tells them that they will be sure to stand out with the outfits she has designed until Pikass calls for Stella to summarize what he has been teaching for the past few minutes. Stella stands and tries to remember what was happening as she acts very honored and anxious that someone as famous as Pikass had just called on her. She asks if she still needs to reply if she feels faint and Pikass calls for her to sit back down if she is not feeling well. Stella claims that it is a pity she could not answer his question and insists that she was listening very profoundly to his lesson.

After class, Stella is relieved that she was able to get out of being called on in class. She and Bloom laugh at the scene and Musa reminds them to meet up at the pavilion for their band practice after school. At the pavilion, Musa suggests that they try to practice the whole song since they have gotten better, but Stella is finding the practice to be more tiring than she had bargained for, as it is causing her nails to hurt. Musa assures Stella that all of their practicing will pay off soon enough as she urges her to practice with the rest of them one more time.

Suddenly, the Specialists arrive as Timmy asks how they are doing. Stella asks if the boys came back to mock them, but Brandon insists that they have come to apologize for how they acted when the girls formed their band. Stella accepts Brandon's apology and claims that they could be using some cuddles since they have been practicing so hard. Brandon tells Stella that that is what he is here for, but then he suggests that he and boys could give them some advice. Stella thinks the idea is fantastic and asks if the boys can stick around, to which Brandon confirms. He promises that the Winx Band will become the biggest female rock band around and the Winx cheer. So they quickly get to practicing again as the boys help them out in any areas that they are struggling in. The day of the competition arrives and the Trix are on-stage, performing their tragic scene. Everyone in the crowd seems confused and bored as the Trix continue their act. Once it ends, Faragonda urges the crowd to applaud and they do so, albeit, very reluctantly. One man openly claims that it was boring and another man claims that he found it to be more funny than tragic. This causes the rest of the crowd to boo the Trix as they head off-stage; Icy claiming that the crowd is made up of a bunch of idiots if they cannot understand "true art."

Faragonda then announces the next group: the acrobatic dancing act. The girls do fairly well until one of them gets tangled in her ribbons and falls over. The crowd laughs at the girl's blunder as Faragonda tries to reassure the group that their act is still being appreciated.

She then announces the next group: the Winx Rock Band. The crowd goes wild as the girls perform and, once the Winx finish, they rally for an encore performance as Timmy cheers Tecna on from the crowd. Stella urges the girls to play an encore performance due to how insistent the crowd is on getting one and Tecna agrees with the idea. As they perform their encore, Pikass is talking with another man, asking if he has seen how well all of his pupils have performed. The man claims that they were all good and tells Pikass to give the Winx Band his card once they get off-stage. Pikass agrees to do so and reveals to the man that he was hoping that something like this would happen, as it was the only reason he had invited him out. After the performance, Faragonda heartly declares the Winx Band as the winners of the competition as the crowd cheers. The Winx walk off-stage with their trophy as the Trix scornfully watch them from backstage, claiming that the competition was not taking itself seriously and that they should not have taken part.

Before the girls leave, Pikass gives Bloom his friend's card, telling them that his friend, Mister Morley, is a manager that could launch her and her friends into the world of entertainment. He then congratulates the Winx by telling them that it is worth it to have a positive winning image, since they came out as the victors. That evening, the Winx and Specialists decide to celebrate their victory at the White Horse, where Bloom reveals to the guys that she and the girls have contacted Mr. Morley and that he plans to have them perform at the most popular nightclub in the center of Magix City on Friday night. Sky asks Bloom how she will be able to manage her part in the band with her job at the White Horse, to which Bloom thinks that Madame Greta may be willing to give her time off. Sky then realizes that if the girls keep performing on weekends then they will not have time to hang out with them, but Stella chimes in, claiming that they will only be performing this one gig. Brandon claims that it will not be the same, which Stella does not understand and starts to think that Brandon does not even want them to try it out. She then claims that men hate the idea of women doing important things outside of their relationships and accuses Brandon of expecting her and the Winx to be available to the guys at their every beck and call. Stella yells at Brandon, telling him that they should at least try to be supportive and Brandon agrees just to calm Stella down. Flora tries to assure Brandon that it will just be in good fun and Bloom agrees, adding in that they were all lucky to win the competition, however, she does not believe that they would be able to make it as real rockstars.

However, after their performance, Mr. Morley approaches the girls as they are packing up and tells them that they have passed the test. He then tells them that they could perform next week on Saturday night as well, being the second band of the night, right after the opening act! Stella and Musa cheer at the thought of making it big as a rock band and Bloom hopes that the boys will not find it inconvenient. Stella assures Bloom that the guys are fine with it as they have already sorted things out. Next Saturday night ends up arriving quicker than the girls had expected and they are back at the nightclub performing as the nightclub patrons seem to be enjoying the music. Bloom points out a group of girls cheering them on and Stella encourages the rest of the Winx to give it their all; playing with all of the energy they can muster. Many other nightclub patrons find the Winx Band's music to be phenomenal, as another one brags about them being in the same class as she is.

From the far end of the nightclub, the Specialists sit at a table, where Brandon asks Timmy how he feels about their current situation. Timmy tells Brandon that he is very happy for Tecna even though she is not by his side and claims that he will be happy so long as she is. He asks the others if that is how he should feel supporting Tecna and Sky claims that he should, possibly dispelling any lingering doubts that he still had.

Once they are done performing, the girls meet up with the guys outside with their stuff all packed. Bloom thanks Sky for waiting for them and Sky claims that it is the least they can do for them. He offers to take Bloom for a night stroll but Bloom is too tired after all the performing they did. Sky the suggests that he drop her off back at Alfea and asks if they will be able to see each other tomorrow. Bloom promises to call him if they can, but she is scared that she may not have enough free time with their studies being in the way as well.

That morning, the girls barely make it through their potionology class since they did not get enough sleep due to coming back so late. Stella runs up the the girls and reveals to them that a couple of girls asked her for an autograph. The girls start to get giddy over their rapidly growing fame.

In fact, later that day in their dorm, the girls catch an interview that they had done earlier airing on TV. Stella is completely ecstatic over seeing herself on TV and Bloom tries settling her down. As Stella worries over whether or not the cameras got her best side, Bloom gets a call from Sky, who tells her that he is recording their TV interview so that he can make her a DVD of it. Bloom finds the idea sweet until Sky asks her when she thinks they will be able to see each other. She tells him that they need to practice their new songs, so they may be able to see each other again on Saturday. Sky agrees on seeing Bloom then and ends the call. Bloom tells Stella that Sky had just called but Stella is occupied with their interview. Bloom then reminds the girls that they still need to keep up with their studies, especially because they have a test in the next two days.

Two days later, as the Winx leave their class, Faragonda runs into them, claiming that she had been looking for them. She warns them that their grades from last week were not so great and Bloom promises that they will make up for the poor grades. Stella adds that they had just finished taking a test and claims that they will end up getting high marks on the test to make up for their recent poor grades. Faragonda, while she understands that the girls are being kept busy with their careers, she advises them to keep up with schoolwork, as they will need all their energy if they want to become real fairies. Once Faragonda has left, Aisha tells Stella that they did really poorly on the test and wonders what Faragonda and the other professors will do once they find out. Stella claims that they will just handle one problem at a time, but Bloom agrees with Faragonda, pointing out that they have constantly put themselves under pressure ever since their band formed. Bloom thinks that she cannot keep living a life where she has no time to keep up with anything, but Stella insists that they will get used to the hectic rockstar life if they keep at it. The girls head back to their dorm to study, as they only have less than two hours before their next show. Later that day, the Winx Band is performing at the usual nightclub. In the crowd, Sky is watching them perform until Alice bumps into him. She claims that she always sees Sky with someone whenever he is around but he is alone today. Sky tries to explain that he is seeing Bloom but Alice is fully aware, and asks if he can go dancing with her since Bloom is performing. Sky ends up taking Alice on her invitation but claims that he will one be dancing with her for one song because he needs to get back to his friends. Alice agrees to these terms and playfully suggests that Sky could introduce her once they are done. Bloom catches the two of them dancing awfully close together while on-stage.

After they are done performing, the girls meet up with the guys at their table. Bloom tells Sky that she saw him dancing and Sky tells her that he did so just to pass time. He hopes that Bloom does not mind and Bloom claims that she does not since Sky is able to do his own things while she is busy with the band.

Later that day, the girls are approached by Mr. Morley, who tells them that they will be able to have their band go on tour since his previous client, a singer known as Larry Solo, declined the offer. Stella is ecstatic with the thought of going on tour but Bloom wants to know why Mr. Morley is no longer interested in working with Larry Solo. Morley claims that it is because Larry Solo's partner has accused him a plagiarizing a song and he believes that he does not have time for such frivolous matters. He then hands the girls the contract but urges them to think quickly because there is not much time. Stella urges the girls to sign but Bloom insists that they need to think this through. Stella then explains to Bloom that the tour is not only a one in a lifetime opportunity, but they would all be realizing their biggest dreams if they take the chance. Musa agrees, claiming that they have all worked hard for it and deserve the chance. Bloom ultimately decides to sign the contract and the rest of them sign as well.

As the girls head back to Alfea, a small crowd of people recognize them and swarm around them for autographs. A boy from the crowd approaches Stella and asks if he could give her a kiss in order to make his friends jealous. Stella lets him do so and, as Bloom tries to ask Stella if she thinks that that is an appropriate thing to do, a man with a camera pops out from the crowd to take a picture. Stella tries to make sense of what happened and, when the girls get back to their dorm, they find out that the boy was planning on selling more magazines by posing as a possible love interest to Stella. As Stella expresses her disdain for such a lie posing as news, she gets a call from Brandon. She tries to explain the article to Brandon, but he hangs up halfway into the call. Bloom asks if Brandon is angry with Stella but Stella reveals that Brandon told her that he cannot come onto tour with her because of all of the things he still needs to do in Magix, like keeping up with his studies. She further explains that he told her that the two of them will have no choice but to break up if Stella does go on tour. Musa goes to comfort Stella and tells her that Riven will also have to stay at Red Fountain, as Codatorta will not let any of the boys leave. Flora adds in that Faragonda has become angry and disappointed in the girls for letting their grades fall so low and Stella starts to cry, claiming that she did not want any of these problems when she signed up to become a rock star. She and Bloom hug each other as they cry over not wanting to be rock stars anymore, and all of the other girls begin to express their regrets as well.

Once they have calmed themselves down, Tecna wonders how they will be able to get out of their contract with Mr. Morley. Bloom gets the idea to prove that the accusations against Larry Solo were false so that he could take their tour. Stella asks how they will be able to tell if Larry is guilty or not, to which Bloom suggests that they find his address and ask him themselves, believing that Larry is a good enough person not to lie about his current predicament. The next day, the girls find Larry Solo's address and visit him to get the full story. Larry thanks them for being interested in what he has to say, but he claims that he has nothing more to say since his friendship with Tommy Sound changes once he got famous. Despite believing that his words will not matter in the end, Larry tells the girls that he played his piece with Tommy while he was still composing the song, but Tommy must have stolen a piece of the composition from the trash can and registered the piece before Larry could in order to frame him. Due to this, Mr. Morley let go of Larry because he did not want to deal with copyright issues. Larry then suspects that Tommy is only doing all of this because he is jealous of his fame, not for the money, and that is when Bloom offers hers and the Winx's help. Larry asks why the girls would give up the opportunity to go on tour and Bloom tells him that it is the right thing to do, rather than telling him the real reason.

Some time later, the girls return to Alfea and are looking through the library in order to find a spell that will help them prove Larry's innocence. Soon enough, Stella finds the spell they are looking for and copies it down in her notes. Faragonda walks by and is relieved to see the girls studying again and, once she is out of sight, Bloom proposes that they call Mr. Morley to organize a meeting for tomorrow. Stella wonders if he will accept their meeting, to which Bloom is sure that he will so that they can escape their rock star prison.

The following day, Mr. Morley arrives at Larry Solo's house, where he hopes that the girls are not wasting his time trying to deal with a problem such as Larry's. Bloom assures him that everything will be fine and Tecna and Aisha return, telling Bloom that Tommy Sound is on his way. As they try to get their preparations in order, Mr. Morley asks what the girls are up to. Bloom reveals that they have discovered a spell that shows how musical remains are linked to their composer, further explaining that the surroundings where the music was played in absorb the music and can give the music back to its composer if the right magic is able to stimulate it. Bloom makes sure that they are all ready one last time and Tecna confirms that they are.

Soon enough, Tommy arrives and the girls have Larry play his composition. The girls go into their Enchantix and use the spell they got from the Alfea Library to show that Larry was indeed the owner of the composition, proving that Tommy's accusations were false. Now that he has been outed, Tommy admits to submitting the composition before Larry in order to stir up trouble because he was envious but he tries to apologize. Mr. Morley is still outraged with Tommy's actions and apologizes to Larry, offering him the contract to go on tour. Larry is hesitant because Morley already signed that contract off with the Winx Band, but Bloom interrupts, claiming that Mr. Morley can tear up their contract under the pretenses of justice. Mr. Morley thanks the girls for their selfless acts and, as they leave, Tecna and Stella compliment Bloom on her quick thinking. All of them are relieved that they can now go on with their normal lives, spending as much time as they want with their boyfriends.

Spells Used

 * "Music, rise in the air, listen to the walls and roof... All played and said, building vibrate, respond... Notes, remember your composer as if living things around him; they come closer to the real creator and truth bring!" - Used by the Winx to prove that Larry Solo was the real composer and that Tommy Sound's accusations were false.

Mistakes

 * On page 20, as the Trix scornfully watch the Winx walk off-stage with their trophy, Stormy's eyes are black instead of their usual teal color.
 * The orange design on Stella's leggings tend to go missing sometimes.
 * When Musa goes into her Enchantix, her hair retains its usual dark blue color instead of gaining a more purplish color.
 * When Tecna goes into her Enchantix, her hair does not grow to shoulder-length and her wings are green instead of purple. The pi-shaped pin of hers is also missing.
 * The sandals that the girls gain when they go into their Enchantix forms are supposed to be soleless, but they are shown to have soles.
 * Stella's Enchantix wings are a completely different shape.

Debuts

 * Pikass
 * Mister Morley
 * Larry Solo
 * Tommy Sound

Characters

 * The Winx
 * Bloom
 * Stella
 * Musa
 * Flora
 * Tecna
 * Aisha
 * Alfea Staff
 * Faragonda
 * Pikass
 * Red Fountain Staff
 * Saladin


 * Alfea Students
 * Francis
 * Clarice
 * Alice (Season 3)
 * Trista
 * Marzia
 * Alice (Season 1)
 * The Specialists
 * Sky
 * Brandon
 * Helia
 * Timmy
 * Riven


 * Cloud Tower Students
 * The Trix
 * Icy
 * Darcy
 * Stormy
 * Humans
 * Mister Morley
 * Larry Solo
 * Tommy Sound
 * White Horse Staff
 * Greta (mentioned)

Trivia

 * Stella is shown to have designed the Winx's band outfits that they later wear in Season 4 of the series.
 * Alice acts very flirtatious around Sky even though, at that point in time, she is supposed to be dating Jared.
 * This could insinuate that after Season 2, the two of them broke up.
 * Tommy Sound bears a striking resemblance to Selina.