Jazz is often seen as music for the old, but the success of the cartoon Soul showed otherwise. Blue in Green goes further by showing that this music can be just as horrifying…
A musician short of breath
Considered a saxophone prodigy as a child, Erik Dieter remained a music teacher and distanced himself from his family. It is the death of his mother that revives the wounds of his lost ambition and personal failures. More strangely, he becomes obsessed with the photography of a jazz musician and seems to move away from reality…
In Blue in Green, the reader wonders about the place of death. Erik discovers his mother's suffering and imagines the corpse in decay. Yet Erik is totally detached. He is more moved when he finds his high school love: Vera Carter, a painter, mother of a separated family. Blue in Green finds the codes of social dramas: Ram V offers a recitative with a very literary text where he describes characters in midlife crisis. The reader becomes aware of the collapse of adolescent dreams: Erik is satisfied with an average life while keeping the link with his youthful passion through teaching and writing.
Blue in Green becomes a reflection on the passing of time. This is the case of the main character who finds the crises of his past. From childhood, Erik had a strained family relationship with his mother. He does not know his father, a jazz musician of whom he keeps only one photo. His return to the family home is also a quest for origins.
Gradually, the story switches to horror. Erik sees supernatural beings as his bearings crumble. However, he considers himself rational but his mind is weakening.
Blue in Green sings the beauty of jazz
Around this general narrative, Blue in Green is an anthem for jazz. Music is at the heart of the characters. Erik always heard music because his mind rearranged everyday noises. Recent disruptions in his life will alter his music. The relationship with music comes from his mother Alana who spent her youth in the clubs of the city. Jazz is also linked to themes, time is at the heart of this century-old music but based on improvisation.
The musical references are numerous in the texts of Blue in Green. The title of the book comes from a piece by Miles Davis and many musicians' names are mentioned.Of course, jazz imagery is very present in the images and this from the magnificent cover. Indeed, Anand RK's drawing is another reason for Blue in Green's success. Everything, from the faces to the shape of the boxes, refuses perfection but each element seeks to express a feeling. Some elements of the scenery or characters are very precise while others are left unfinished. This opposition gives a sense of urgency without being botched. It can also be seen as an illustration of the wildest jazz between control and fury. Colors have meaning. In the more horrific part, pink becomes more present and more and more carmine.
HiComics has a special attachment to this title because each element of the book receives careful treatment. As soon as you touch it, you are attracted by the beautiful – and very judicious – effects on the cover.The first page immerses the reader in the atmosphere. Finally, the bonuses are substantial with a gallery of prestigious illustrators, commented extracts of the scenario.
Like a jazz piece, a sweet melody of Blue in Green is abruptly interrupted by the pounding drums and the screams of a saxophone. The book becomes as unpredictable as a good improviser.
Find another chronicle of the same screenwriter with These Savage Shore and another comic about music, The capital of funk.
