Heavy Vinyl

by Carly Usdin

[nannah]

(3.5)

Ahh, I so wish I loved this more!! It's so diverse without even having to try, the '90's setting is colorful & fun, and all the main characters are lovable. I think maybe this first volume will fall a little bit into a sort of prologue for the rest of the story?

When Chris joins the local record store, Vinyl Mayhem, she hopes her life will get some sort of purpose or direction. She's disappointed when nothing is mysteriously mapped in front of her, until bands start disappearing, including Chris's favorite singer, Rosie Riot. It's then Chris discovers her coworkers at Vinyl Mayhem have a secret: they're part of an all-girl fight club who battle crime, and Chris is their newest member!

The Good:
That! Art!!
I think this is one of my favorite art styles for any graphic novel ... possibly ever. Every expression is so nuanced and instantly readable. Every frame is finished, and nothing is ever sketchy or unfinished. Polished, distinct, and relatable. I'm in love with the art.

The representation!
I don't think I've ever seen in any book (graphic novel or otherwise) not specifically about or starring trans woman actually say they want to fight FOR trans women and fight AGAINS transphobia! I got tears in my eyes and then took a snapshot of the page to send to my friends. Plus the main character is gay/bi/pan, and another one of the main characters is as well. There's same-sex parents, characters of color, and the main character admits she struggles with anxiety.

Plus, the graphic novel doesn't slap you with its representation, but introduces everything so naturally, so organically, that it's like ... you know, real life, lmao. We definitely need more novels and graphic novels that have representation like this.

The protagonist.
I love Chris. She's just how I felt as a high-schooler (and a college student, I'll be honest). Awkward, bumbling -- and later in college -- crushing on girls and not knowing how to deal with it. She was the perfect character to offset everyone else's confidence.

The Bad:
What keeps me from unabashedly loving this is the villain and the pacing.

I just don't understand the villain at all. "I want music to be boring, so I'm going to brainwash bands to remove the meaning of their music." That's his motive? It doesn't make sense! How can that drive a plot? Why ... would someone want that? Especially when he has enough money from his record/music production company (the characters say that specifically)? Because I just can't get past this, I can't get into the plot. It doesn't work for me.

The pacing is great until the last issue. Things then speed up so fast, the climax is over before I even realize it had started. I had to reread it a couple times to actually try to absorb it. Then there's some foreshadowing for later issues/volumes, and it's that foreshadowing that makes me think ... was this volume some kind of prologue?

I almost hope it was! So with that hope, I'll continue reading, because there's so much I love about this.