Evan Jacobs Jacobs itibaren 736 91 Lenmora, Sweden
An ambitious miniseries that follows David Kohl, a phonomancer who works magic with music. Britpop, to be specific. And Brittania, his patron goddess, is in trouble. Kieron Gillen uses this conceit to examine the way he (and, by extension, us) view music as part of our psyche and our lives. By zoning in on Britpop, Gillen makes it more personal for him, but it's a little hard to follow if you don't know the references. Lots of essays and glossaries fill in the gaps on which British guitar band from the mid-90s in under discussion nicely, sometimes in danger of taking over from the story itself. Jamie McKelvie's art is clean and riveting. I loved Britpop, so I had an easier in to this story, but I recommend it for its Big Ideas and the moments when it really does click. Like Britpop, sometimes it gets swallowed by its own sense of importance, but also like Britpop, when it works, it finds something sublime. Favorite line from Kohl: "I. Fucking. Hate. Fucking. Kula. Fucking. Shaker!"