This is an enjoyable and fairly true-to-the-facts biographical graphic novel about Kurt Cobain's short, but brilliant life. Some of the story is fictionalised, for example when the authors speculate about what "Boddah" was like to Kurt and how he functioned in Kurt's mind. They also extrapolate on the circumstances of Kurt's life to draw some conclusions about why he killed himself, which may or may not be accurate.
The book actually (surprisingly) touches on Kurt's bisexuality, mentioning his romantic feelings for his best friend and bandmate Krist, which is a fact about him that has been covered up by those who want to make money off his image by white-washing him into a generic macho guitar hero (he was the opposite of that!).
The book goes into more depth about the later years of Kurt's life, well-publicised as they were, and his turbulent relationship with Courtney.
The book is very easy to relate to, emotionally, and is convincing on a gut level. The authors do a good job depicting the sort of inner turmoil and pain that plagued Kurt and pushed him into drug addiction. The story is told with first-person narration from Kurt's point of view, with third person events depicted, as well.
The artwork is pretty well done, though decidedly comic-booky in flavour. The naked women don't look much like real women, as you would expect in a comic book, and their nudity is pretty much gratuitous, which Kurt would probably have side-eyed, honestly. But the artist has good ideas and creates good visual metaphors, as well as carefully paying attention to visual details, like the sort of t-shirts the band were wearing, what Kurt's artwork looked like, the kind of cough syrup he was drinking, etc. The book was clearly made with care and real thought, and isn't just a money-making venture.
Worth a read for Nirvana fans, graphic novel enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys a good biography and isn't afraid of tragedy.
The book actually (surprisingly) touches on Kurt's bisexuality, mentioning his romantic feelings for his best friend and bandmate Krist, which is a fact about him that has been covered up by those who want to make money off his image by white-washing him into a generic macho guitar hero (he was the opposite of that!).
The book goes into more depth about the later years of Kurt's life, well-publicised as they were, and his turbulent relationship with Courtney.
The book is very easy to relate to, emotionally, and is convincing on a gut level. The authors do a good job depicting the sort of inner turmoil and pain that plagued Kurt and pushed him into drug addiction. The story is told with first-person narration from Kurt's point of view, with third person events depicted, as well.
The artwork is pretty well done, though decidedly comic-booky in flavour. The naked women don't look much like real women, as you would expect in a comic book, and their nudity is pretty much gratuitous, which Kurt would probably have side-eyed, honestly. But the artist has good ideas and creates good visual metaphors, as well as carefully paying attention to visual details, like the sort of t-shirts the band were wearing, what Kurt's artwork looked like, the kind of cough syrup he was drinking, etc. The book was clearly made with care and real thought, and isn't just a money-making venture.
Worth a read for Nirvana fans, graphic novel enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys a good biography and isn't afraid of tragedy.
