The Comic Book is about a guy named Aksel who is the Lead Vocalist and the Lead Guitarist of a band called 'Perkeros'. The band is comprised of four members, a bear who is the Drummer, a Bassist who looks like Gandalf, is 600 years old and seems to have played with every band from the time of The Doors existed, and a Pianist who happens to be the Manager and Designer for the Band (Aksel’s secret crush). The band is later joined by a fifth member who is a pizza delivery guy who becomes the Lead Vocalist after Aksel swallows his pride and accepts what is right for the band.
The artwork is amazing from the very first page. you literally feel the guitar pick slides and the guitar strums that are depicted in the artwork. The drawings of Live Shows and Pub Arenas are so nicely done that you feel that you are at that Concert or the Dance Party.
The inking, the compositions, the dynamic concert angles, the flow of the panels, and the attention to detail are impressive. I bought this Comic Book because I am also an Illustrator and I was also working on a similar concept and I needed some references to ignite my imagination. We have a Comic Book called 'Unsure Uncertain' too that portrays a series of unfortunate real-life events that took place while the band was active. And that's when I found this Comic Book and I am very impressed with it.
The ‘Unsure Uncertain’ Comic Book also had a similar storyline where the music we created was intricate with different time signatures and not the conventional style people preferred. This style of music had very little following, zero to be precise :D. Aksel’s struggles to balance his personal life with his girlfriend and his band's life, their band practice, their discussions about music, pre-show jitters, and more looked very relatable. Also, the references to their music idols, Tool, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and The Doors were common to us too. We also followed similar artists for reference.
Overall the Comic is a mix of Music, Fun, Adventure, Horror, and Drama. Pretty good mix if you see :D. I really enjoyed the story though it went a little too adventurous in the end and kinda ended abruptly. But It was fun. I appreciate the artwork and the author’s intent to portray the daily struggles of a middle-class guy trying to create music that is true to his passion and trying to keep the band together. It was extremely relatable to me as a musician.
Kervinen’s (bassist) wisdom sounds too humorous at times. And like I said, the Artwork is stunning, and the paper quality is amazing. I can say this because I’m very bad at maintaining the condition of my books. I tend to wear them out in a month cause I use them while commuting but this one still smells as good as new. I would recommend this book not for the story but for the artwork, and if you have been a part of a band and want to experience the nostalgia, you should definitely buy a copy.
