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Skandalon (Graphic Novel) Review

 
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At a Glance...
 

Page Count: 157
 
Genre:
 
Author:
 
Year Published:
 
Final Score
 
 
 
 
 
3.5/ 5


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We liked?


An interesting deviation from the classic story line.

Not so much?


At times lacks perspective on the lead character's motivations.


Final Fiendish Findings?

“Let’s just say I’m everything you’d like to be but can’t.” Tazane is a guy who seems to have it all. Adoring fans, hot music, managers dedicated to him, and loads of money. And yet, he’s the stereotypical disenfranchised star. He loathes the very fans who made him who he is, mocking their adulation and […]

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Posted September 8, 2014 by

 
Full Fiendish Findings...
 
 

“Let’s just say I’m everything you’d like to be but can’t.”

Tazane is a guy who seems to have it all. Adoring fans, hot music, managers dedicated to him, and loads of money. And yet, he’s the stereotypical disenfranchised star. He loathes the very fans who made him who he is, mocking their adulation and soundly rejecting everything he once stood for. His fans, his band mates, his way of life are now nothing but objects of disdain in a life where he feels invincible but values nothing. And yet, it is that very disdain for those around him that will ultimately lead to Tazane’s downfall, and in his shortsighted feelings of superiority he never even sees it coming.

Julie Maroh brings an unfiltered look at a life on the edge with her latest graphic novel, Skandalon. It’s a raw look at what it means to live a life in the spotlight – and how so much can quickly go so wrong when it all goes to your head. When first we meet Tazane, he’s already a bit of a monster, high on himself and devoted to getting what he wants, when he wants it, regardless of the cost. As his manager, former friends, and the press watch him spiral out of control, there’s a sense of gratuitous voyeurism to it all, as if they’d all like nothing more than to see him fail. And fail he does, victim to his own shortsighted vanity. It’s as if Tazane feels nothing bad can happen to him, even as he commits acts that are unforgivable.

Is this what a life of celebrity and adoration leads to? It’s certainly not true for all, but Skandalon (and years of celebrity self destructs) paints a pretty convincing picture of the ultimate price that must be paid for a disillusioned life in the spotlight. The artwork in Skandalon serves as a fitting backdrop to the bleak story line. Tazane is edgy and dark – all hard lines and angry eyes as he rejects the world around him. The color scheme is somber as well, with blurred backgrounds and dark colors pulling readers in to Tazane’s bleak life in the spotlight.

Skandalon is an interesting look at a once beloved celebrity spirals out of control in a tragedy of his own making. With a dark and edgy look that perfectly complements the somber tone of the story, it’s a thought provoking tale that is decidedly mature in tone. While it is an interesting take on the standard story, it often leaves readers wondering what exactly caused Tazane to take the direction he did – a little more background would have been a welcome look into his psyche, providing a little motivation to match his actions.


Amy

 
U.S. Senior Editor & Deputy EIC, @averyzoe on Twitter, mother of 5, gamer, reader, wife to @macanthony, and all-around bad-ass (no, not really)


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