I'm not a huge fan of Jazz, but I am a fan of how artists tell stories in different formats, and the "wordless" aspect of this drew my attention. And since much of the focus is on the art, it's a good thing the art is so lovely and expressive. I was so interested I looked up the subject afterwards; always the mark of a good historical novel.

A moving and sometimes frustrating graphic biography of Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke, one of the most innovative and influential jazz soloists of the 1920s. I say frustrating because he was such a brilliant musician, but his addiction to alcohol took over his life, and contributed to the health conditions leading to his death in 1931 at the age of 28. It's frustrating to think what more he could have accomplished in his life and career had he not had those personal demons haunting him. The nearly wordless format works well with this story, as not much is known or agreed upon about Bix- his life has become somewhat of a legend, and the lack of dialogue or narration gives more room for interpretation, in my opinion. The artwork is wonderful, and the mix of linear panels and multi-panel bursts adds a nice movement to the story, like bursts of music. A visual treat that brings all the emotions, along with a bittersweet tribute to a musical genius.

A visually arresting story of a forgotten musician made all the more striking by its almost complete disregard for dialogue. It is a tale of a great talent and a downward spiral, a story of sound told solely in pictures. The irony is strong. So is the book.

'Bix' by Scott Chantler is an amazing graphic novel biography of Bix Beiderbecke.

Bix Beiderbecke was a jazz trumpet player in the 1920's. He died at a young age, but left behind some landmark recordings.

This book is told mostly without words, but Scott Chantler's amazing art conveys so much emotion. The whole thing has a lyrical bittersweet quality. The end is foreshadowed as Bix feels the pain of his father's rejection. The last few pages of panels are heartrending. This is one of the most amazing things I've read recently.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Gallery Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I was given an early copy of this historical graphic novel to review through Netgalley. The cover of the graphic novel was beautifully done. This follows the rise and fall of Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke who was a jazz soloist in the 1920’s. I had not heard of this musical talent before so it was interesting to see more about him. I didn’t however enjoy the format that was used to tell his story. It was like a compilation of cartoon strips instead of the graphics I was expecting to see. Interesting story but not a book I would purchase.

Bix by Scott Chantler, 252 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. Gallery 13, 2020. $30.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
From a young age, Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke was entranced by music -- especially jazz music -- but his father didn’t approve the pursuit of that dream. Bix was sent to school and work, encouraged to give up music. But he would not let go that easily, for Bix was meant to play.
Chantler uses a lot of clever storytelling, opting to tell the story nearly entirely through illustrations (about 90 percent pictures and 10 percent words). This structure makes the life of Bix a quick read, though not an easy one with the ups and downs of emotion. Throughout the triumphs and disappointments, the illustration-versus-word set up made me feel like I could actually hear music in the background. Despite the tragedy of how Bix’s life concludes, I found that the ending was the most beautiful part. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, alcohol abuse, and partial nudity.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Like watching a silent film in book form, Bix is a wonderful telling of the life of a troubled musician and the highs and lows of his life.

Telling the story of Bix Bierderbecke, in the graphic novel format intrigued me as an easy way to fill in gaps in my knowledge of jazz and it's creative geniuses. After reading the book, it certainly did that. The format was perfect for the story and the era of silent movies. Beautiful illustrations draw you into the story and mesmerize you with barely any text or dialogue.

This is apparently one of the biggest, most influential musicians of the 1920s, that you have never heard of. Self taught, tragically addicted to drink, he had the world at his feet and drank himself to death.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/bix.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5580" />

Mostly told with visuals, with bits, scraps of dialogue, we see his life from when he first played the piano, to the end of his too short life. It is amazing how much can be shown without having to use dialogue.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.