Chapin City Blues

Rating:

What It’s About:

“In a world ruled by strange and terrible gods, Wist’s life as an angel is a fate worse than death…until a young witch offers him a chance to escape his dark master, once and for all.” (via back cover)

Let’s Talk About It:

Let me start by stating that I wasn’t aware of the author’s use of AI generated art. I just heard the words “dark horror graphic novel,” and purchased it from the TikTok shop (I may even have followed him, something that I need to fix once I finish writing this review). That already rubbed me the wrong way and probably already lowered the score before I even began to read the story (I spent money on it; I was going to read it). 

As I said, the author used Midjourney (an AI software) to generate the art. However, he used a tablet to draw over the AI generated images in order to retain some consistency with the art. While he calls this a hybrid work, he does not claim any of the artwork. There is detail in some of the panels, but somehow the art still feels flat. Like it’s missing the heart of an artist to pump life into the characters.

And the story isn’t any better. Characters remain flat and underdeveloped, no matter how much backstory Robertson randomly offers. His use of rhyme scheme in some parts makes it feel like gothic Dr. Seuss tale without the Seussian imagination. The story is fast paced, and doesn’t drag, but also leaves so much to be desired. The book ends on a cliffhanger, though this first part leaves me with little desire to continue reading the book, let alone pay to read the book. 

Despite these major drawbacks to the book, the idea isn’t a terrible one. The concept of gods versus mortals is big in fantasy fiction. It’s even something I thought about once or twice when I attempted to write dark fantasy. While graphic novels do depend heavily on the visual, I also wished that the author would expand his world building in the prose. Very little is touched on the subject, and I think it would have heightened the story rather than just throw some facts at us when they were necessary.

I also hope in the future that the author seeks out an illustrator and drops the Midjourney/AI generated art (or does the work himself). While outlines aren’t for everyone, the use of one after you have your story down may help in organizing how you tell it. That’s just me, though. 

Until next time, keep on huntin’.