In Review: Deep Cuts #2

Synopsis: Deep Cuts continues its exploration of the golden era of Jazz Music. Chicago, 1928. Gail Gelstein has 48 hours to write the biggest jazz hit of all time. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t know anything about jazz.

The Story

When Gail Gelstein realizes that her play, which is due to debut on Broadway is likely to fail. She realizes that she needs something that will make it a hit and sets about trying to write the best ever Jazz song. The problem is she doesn’t know a thing about Jazz and only has 48 hours to learn. To that end, she heads home to Chicago to attend a family wedding and is told by her father to go see a banjo player by the name of Ray Stroh.

Ray proceeds to take Gail to a Jazz club and offers her a crash course about Jazz, but by the close of the night, she is only beginning to get it. The following night she meets up with Jazz composer and pianist Leo Jones who teaches her the fundamentals of Jazz Chord progressions and how they work. At this point Gail begins to gain a better understanding and sets about writing her song.

The Artwork

Helena Masellis does a brilliant job of the art. Capturing the vibe of 1928’s Chicago Jazz scene brilliantly. I really enjoyed the art style and colors used in this book as it had a painted quality to it that kind of reflected a sort of sepia look that you’d get on your old black-and-white photographs. The imagery of the various Jazz clubs that we visit had a real sense of life to them, which made me feel really invested in Gail’s journey.

Overall

Kyle Higgins and Joseph Clark put together a brilliant story that really sucks you in. The characters of Gail Geldstein, Ray Stroh, and Leo Jones felt very real and authentic. Much like the characters in the previous issue. You really get to enjoy these characters throughout Gail’s journey where she learns about Jazz.