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A review by frasersimons
Instrumental by Dave Chisholm
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After reading the incredible Into the Blue by Chisholm I managed to get ahold of this as well, and I’m glad I did! Another interesting, immersive dialogue musing on both the struggle of authenticity in creating music (and art, generally), and the dynamic between the artist and (the incompatible) society where the art is being created.
When a musician is given the “gift” of a trumpet that seems to unlock or tap into his talent, suddenly his life careens into danger. He can no longer sleep, as he’s being followed. People near him end up dead when he plays. But he can’t stop playing, as his dream of hitting the big time continue, so long as he keeps playing.
The subplot, which seems like it taps into a collective unconscious and a… cult? I guess? That makes the story more fantastical and escalates the stakes, was less interesting to me than the core of the story. Though, I do like the underbelly of it, allowing the notions around what it means to play music and how it is in dialogue with other musicians—the catastrophic stakes felt like it somewhat took away from those core ideas, rather than emphasized it. But… in comics, stories that do not have fantastical or scifi elements tend to do really poorly, so I can see why it’s there.
This work being a stepping stone to the aforementioned Into the Blue (an all time favourite of mine), makes a lot of sense, well worth reading, and is neat to situate in the Chisholm overall canon. Glad I found a library copy for sale online.
When a musician is given the “gift” of a trumpet that seems to unlock or tap into his talent, suddenly his life careens into danger. He can no longer sleep, as he’s being followed. People near him end up dead when he plays. But he can’t stop playing, as his dream of hitting the big time continue, so long as he keeps playing.
The subplot, which seems like it taps into a collective unconscious and a… cult? I guess? That makes the story more fantastical and escalates the stakes, was less interesting to me than the core of the story. Though, I do like the underbelly of it, allowing the notions around what it means to play music and how it is in dialogue with other musicians—the catastrophic stakes felt like it somewhat took away from those core ideas, rather than emphasized it. But… in comics, stories that do not have fantastical or scifi elements tend to do really poorly, so I can see why it’s there.
This work being a stepping stone to the aforementioned Into the Blue (an all time favourite of mine), makes a lot of sense, well worth reading, and is neat to situate in the Chisholm overall canon. Glad I found a library copy for sale online.