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captwinghead's review against another edition
2.0
The art and the concept of this story are great, but nothing really grabbed me.
This recommended on a Pride Month comic rec list and the lead character is a Black queer woman, so there's that. It's certainly more centered around her love of music and her career than really delving into her queerness. Barring the few scenes with her future partner, her queerness isn't really discussed much.
This story follows a band in the 1980s trying to make a name for themselves as the Minneapolis Sound was really taking off. Prince's influence is seen throughout the book and it's said to be a tribute of sorts to the late legendary musician. I wished there was more to grab onto character wise, but this book is mostly vibes, IMO.
This recommended on a Pride Month comic rec list and the lead character is a Black queer woman, so there's that. It's certainly more centered around her love of music and her career than really delving into her queerness. Barring the few scenes with her future partner, her queerness isn't really discussed much.
This story follows a band in the 1980s trying to make a name for themselves as the Minneapolis Sound was really taking off. Prince's influence is seen throughout the book and it's said to be a tribute of sorts to the late legendary musician. I wished there was more to grab onto character wise, but this book is mostly vibes, IMO.
bsmorris's review against another edition
4.0
A good story and love letter to Prince and his influence on the Minneapolis music scene. Reading about the fictional band Starchild makes me want to look up a bunch of the actual bands from that time period.
uosdwisrdewoh's review
3.0
In this admirable but slightly formulaic graphic novel, a band in 80s Minneapolis tries to make a name for itself as it struggles with Prince’s massive influence. This scene is a fertile, unexplored ground in comics, but convincingly portraying music is really hard in a graphic novel. The performances purposefully eschew any floating musical notes and lyrics, leaving it to the reader’s imagination, but these scenes, in spite of Meredith Laxton’s best efforts, emphasize the static nature of the images. Laxton’s art is attractive, reminiscent of Jamie McKelvie, but doesn’t really soar when the story requires it—although to be fair that’s a challenge even the most skilled artist would struggle with. The cameos from real people are interesting but sit oddly, most notably in a scene where Morris Day serves as the heel in a battle of the bands against the protagonist’s fictional group Starchild. In the end, the story (by veteran comics journalists Joseph P. Illidge and Hannibal Tabu) concludes rather abruptly, in an epilogue that almost seems like the onscreen text at the end of a documentary, one that throws in a romantic plot point that wasn’t set up at all in the preceding pages.
I wanted to like this more than I did, since comics in general sorely need stories based in reality. It’s still a good effort. I can’t wait to read more like it.
I wanted to like this more than I did, since comics in general sorely need stories based in reality. It’s still a good effort. I can’t wait to read more like it.
delicatewatkins's review against another edition
2.0
I can't believe I finished this. I cared about nothing in this story. It all felt pointless and forced.
crookedtreehouse's review against another edition
4.0
A fictional story about a Minneapolis funk band, and how their history and style was influenced by Prince.
So many stories about bands, be they real or fictional, end up following the pattern of VH1's "Behind The Music" episodes. All the drama, all the infighting, a focus on why the band deteriorated and whether or not they have/will ever get back together. This story, refreshingly, didn't follow that template. Oh, the band goes through may of the struggles but they're brushed to the side to focus o the lead singer's drive to make the band famous through hard work. There aren't any real villains. The music industry people (including Prince and his employees) suck but they're shown as selfish, not evil.
I would love to see more books (again, about fictional or real bands) use this template to tell stories that expand on characters within a band rather than the Demons and Destructiveness of being in a band.
I also appreciated the layout of the book. It was almost never noticable (which is an underappreciated art) but the occasional two page spreads were gorgeous.
This was, by far, my favorite of the recent Humanoid book releases. I'll keep an eye out for Tabu and [a:Meredith Laxton|15349467|Meredith Laxton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s work in the future.
So many stories about bands, be they real or fictional, end up following the pattern of VH1's "Behind The Music" episodes. All the drama, all the infighting, a focus on why the band deteriorated and whether or not they have/will ever get back together. This story, refreshingly, didn't follow that template. Oh, the band goes through may of the struggles but they're brushed to the side to focus o the lead singer's drive to make the band famous through hard work. There aren't any real villains. The music industry people (including Prince and his employees) suck but they're shown as selfish, not evil.
I would love to see more books (again, about fictional or real bands) use this template to tell stories that expand on characters within a band rather than the Demons and Destructiveness of being in a band.
I also appreciated the layout of the book. It was almost never noticable (which is an underappreciated art) but the occasional two page spreads were gorgeous.
This was, by far, my favorite of the recent Humanoid book releases. I'll keep an eye out for Tabu and [a:Meredith Laxton|15349467|Meredith Laxton|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s work in the future.
clairesfullshelves's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
4.5
Super informative and gives a good look at who prince was as a performer. I really connected with the fictional ban and honestly wish they were real. They didn't feel like a cartoon band. Their story made them feel authentic and seriously passionate about playing music. Overall a great read, but the ending part about the main characters relationship sort of came out of nowhere, and I wish there were a bit more story around it to see how it evolved. But still a great read. I would definitely suggest it oth music lovers, Prince loves, and graphic novel lovers.