Reviews for Soundtrack

The average rating for Soundtrack based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-01-27 00:00:00 Joni Atkins-ryan I suspect I've been hooked on Jessica Abel's work since the first I saw it. She has a confidence of art and storytelling which tends to overcome whatever flaws either might have. Now, 20 years later, it's a little hard to bear her tales of trendy Chicagoan 20-somethings, but her deft way with dialogue and her keen eye for expression and body language continue to carry every story ably. This collection of stories is culled from her self-published run of Artbabe (but in no way is it comprehensive), as well as various other sources and includes some previously unpublished work as well. The book is loosely divided into sections, determining what stories go where, and for the most part that works. It would've done just as well to just run everything chronologically, without sections, and let the work tell its own tale of the creator's path. Abel seems to have backed off of strict comic-creation, and this collection makes me wish a living could be made just from this sort of work, because time showed she just got better and better. This collection, though, is a snapshot of an early creator at play, experimenting and searching for a personal style and niche. This edition is entirely black-and-white, even when reproducing the occasional colour work (which is a damn shame, because Abel's an excellent colour painter).

Review # 2 was written on 2019-05-02 00:00:00 Rick Harris Bought this at a used book store totally due to the inside artwork resembling "punk rock zines" I use to read back in high school. Speaking of, there is a visual piece about Abel attending a show at the Fireside Bowl sometime in 1995. My very first show was at the Fireside Bowl in 1997!!! Reading that piece definitely gave me warm and fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. However, the rest of the book was just okay and I'm not sure I'll ever have a desire to re-read it other than showing friend the Fireside Bowl piece.