This graphic novel surprised me. I didn't get it at first, but after I delved deeper into it, I loved it. Gillen and McKelvie are known more for their run on Young Avengers and the most recent The Wicked and the Divine, both of which I ate up with a spoon. This is their (I believe) first collaboration. You can definitely see where themes that are explored in Wicked and Divine and Young Avengers began here.

One thing I loved about this graphic novel is that it made me listen to bands I had never heard of such as The Pulp, Echobelly, Blur, etc. I wanted to see where the protagonist was coming from. I wanted to hear what he heard get a feel of what he was going through. Thanks to this handy dandy mobile device, I was able to listen to them and it really helped shape my feelings toward this graphic novel. Because of this, I fell in love with "Common People" by The Pulp.

In the art, you can definitely see the roots of Wicked and Divine. Especially with the drawing of the eye makeup. McKelvie is consistent and consistently good.

Maybe going into this book with low expectations helped. Maybe adding the soundtrack helped. Maybe accepting that I am not going to know what the hell is going on helped, but I did love this. This graphic novel isn't for everyone, but if you can get past the first two issues and let yourself enjoy the ride, you'll be pleasantly surprised.