About the book…
This is a pure rock and roll space opera featuring the legendary Jimi Hendrix as you’ve never seen him before.
Fully sanctioned by Experience Hendrix L.L.C.; Authentic Hendrix, LLC – this is the first ever full-length graphic novel inspired by the music of the legendary Jimi Hendrix – arguably the world’s greatest guitarist.
This 21st Century psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll odyssey sees Jimi Hendrix embark on a quest to the very centre of the universe in search of a magical talisman powerful enough to unlock the incredible latent power of his music so that he can share it with a universe starved of the rock ‘n’ roll by a tyrannical intergalactic force hellbent on silencing all music from the universe and enslaving all life.
Hugest of thanks to Will O’Mullane of Titan Books for the blog tour invite for graphic novel, ‘Purple Haze’ by Mellow Brown and Ben Ha’Meen, published in hardcover by Titan Books on 27/08/24!
I am so grateful for the chance to read and review the pdf e-book, and have the paperback on its way as I think on a phone/Kindle, bearing in mind I am elderly (49!!!!) and have a basic model, it’s not quite the same as a paper copy.
It’s simply put, an extraordinary work of art that melds past and future as well as being deeply reflective on the current state of this world. It’s on fire, and the things which save us, which got us through lockdown and the lowest ebb of the tide, the arts, are so undervalued, under supported and under attack.
In this spectacularly re-imagined future, the crisp, clean lines of the characters which Jimi and his crew are trying to get through to, contrast beautifully with the hazy , pencil drawn guitarist. The moody colours of the past, shot through with purple, just go to emphasise the way we often look to the past for guidance, comfort, solidity in a world, a universe, which can often feel like shifting sand.
I absolutely fell deep into this space adventure where Jimi and his crew traverse the planets, bringing a message long forgotten that can be spoken through music and lyrics, something which transposes language barriers because you feel it.
There is a reason that the lyrics of his songs, and the way chords he played make you feel, have resonated through the decades, and this is what the writers and artists of Purple Haze managed to bring to life by throwing it further into the future.
The lettering and threading of Hendrix’ lyrics through the story of his space travels, playing to the marginalised, the co-opted, the down trodden as well as those doing the stepping on, is backlit by gorgeous art, which is further explored after the story concludes. There is a selection of concept art, alternate covers and colourways along with the script development, which is, if I am honest, one of my favourite parts of the graphic novel world. Like an afterword explaining the key moment that a book or story comes together, this gives the reader an opportunity to appreciate the stages of development in creating a story such as this.
Traversing history, traversing planets, above and below the surface, this is not just a matter of Jimi whipping his guitar out and bringing people together playing his music, that is too reductive, the overall feeling I had on finishing Purple Haze, was that the power is in your hands. It doesn’t matter who the audience is, how many of them are there, if they aren’t listening then it doesn’t matter what message is being sold.
It’s difficult to describe, I would absolutely advise lovers of music and art alike to check this out, and to order it from libraries if you cannot afford a copy-I am totally aware I speak from a place of privilege as someone who has the joy of reading arcs, however, I am a frequent flier at our library because honestly I can just not afford books myself. Libraries are an absolute godsend, even our little local one in Bridgend orders graphic novels in and for that we are so grateful.
Anyway, all this rambling is to say, there is a sense of having been on a journey , a dive into what Jimi Hendrix meant to a reader as an individual, what he tried to do as a cultural icon , and how his music continues to resonate in a world far moved on from the one he lived in.
And to see his art turned into something as gorgeous as Purple Haze, is a real treat indeed.
About the authors…
Twitter @ComicsTitan @MellowMarketer @djbenhameen @MandrakeTom
Links-
Author
bridgeman.lenny@gmail.com