Ever read a book (or listen to an album) and go, "Wow, I am obviously NOT the intended audience."
That's kinda how I felt about this, because, while music and magic seem like the perfect combination, I know f-k all about Britpop. And despite the introduction and back cover saying you don't need to know it to enjoy the book, I beg to differ.
Also, it is very, very British. I have been to London, I read British authors, I have friends who live there, but even _I_ had problems with the slang and inside jokes. (You know you missed them, because they have a glossary at the back to tell you what they mean.)
It probably doesn't help that the protagonist is an unapologetic, selfish wanker, and frankly, I WAS rooting for him to die / get lost in the nostalgia memory-world or whatever. Because he's an elitist prick, with no motivation to change. That he was elitist over BRITPOP (which goes against every punk/ indie-rawk /noise / no-wave bone in my body) made me sick.
The idea about music and magic being intertwined was cool, but that every practitioner is a selfish, fountain-of-youth chasing, vapid waste-of-oxygen did not sit well with me. Just because it's a graphic novel doesn't mean your characters have to be caricatures.
I'm going to quit slagging on it, because, as David would say, I just don't get it.
That's kinda how I felt about this, because, while music and magic seem like the perfect combination, I know f-k all about Britpop. And despite the introduction and back cover saying you don't need to know it to enjoy the book, I beg to differ.
Also, it is very, very British. I have been to London, I read British authors, I have friends who live there, but even _I_ had problems with the slang and inside jokes. (You know you missed them, because they have a glossary at the back to tell you what they mean.)
It probably doesn't help that the protagonist is an unapologetic, selfish wanker, and frankly, I WAS rooting for him to die / get lost in the nostalgia memory-world or whatever. Because he's an elitist prick, with no motivation to change. That he was elitist over BRITPOP (which goes against every punk/ indie-rawk /noise / no-wave bone in my body) made me sick.
The idea about music and magic being intertwined was cool, but that every practitioner is a selfish, fountain-of-youth chasing, vapid waste-of-oxygen did not sit well with me. Just because it's a graphic novel doesn't mean your characters have to be caricatures.
I'm going to quit slagging on it, because, as David would say, I just don't get it.
