Music is Magic: Phonogram vol. 1

Hey,
I hope you are all having a great week. I am doing well myself. So let's get into it shall we?

Music is Magic: Phonogram vol. 1: Rue Britannia
Ron Richards at Ifanboy has been championing this book for so long that the moment I saw it was available I snatched it up. Now I usually don't like series that are "magic-heavy." That sounds contradictory because I read stuff about superheroes and I think magicians are cool. However I really disliked The Invisibles because I had no idea what was going on. Morrison seemed to like to thrown in weird stuff with no explanation. This is not true of Phonogram which has enough of a grounding in reality that I never felt lost.

I think this is helped by Jamie McKelvie's art, which is cartoony but realistic at the same time. McKelvie's style isn't flashy or muscley. It oddly reminded me of the same art-style as Brian Michael Bendis when he chooses to draw. This is particularly evident in sequences where one character tells a story directly to the reader. Note the example on the left. His panel design ranges from traditional grid to splash page to pop art. McKelvie likes the Warhol-style homage which considering the subject matter, Britpop music, it leads to some pretty pages. Unfortunately there isn't any sense of movement inside the panels. The static-ness of the image is frustrating in action sequences as well as confusing in the more fantastical sequences. I will say that enjoyed the look of the characters. They are all people that I recognize from real life which fits this story.

This volume of Phonogram follows a mage named David Kohl who uses Britpop music to interpret magic. Kohl's mind is slipping as he deals with the death (and possible resurrection) of his patron Mod goddess Britannia. If that sounded a little too strange for you, then I'd stay away. I was captured by the first few issues which had great dialogue and very specific references to the Britpop scene of the early 90s. Dave Kohl is the kind of jerk that you hate and love at the same time. He's a douchebag that I found myself rooting for.

I will admit that I got lost in the middle issues as the story took more of a fantastical turn. Kohl gets lost in his own mindscape and so did I. This would be okay, except it didn't match the realism of the first few issues. I was already invested in the more real characters, that I don't care about psychological pseudo-exploration. Thank god that the book moves back to characters that have more realistic consequences. Otherwise I probably would have dropped the book.

The music references are very specific and I was grateful for the glossary in the back of my trade. However I still understood the theme of the book without being a major Britpop fan. It's a commentary on music fandom, and how it can have magical properties. I love the idea of goddesses and mythological beings out dancing at the club. It's a cool notion.

Have a great weekend! Book Slave.