Comic Sunday #7: Moonhead and the Music Machine by Andrew Rae

Comic Sundays are an American newspaper tradition where new comic strips are published weekly. At Becoming Books this tradition will continue focusing on comic strips, comics and graphic novels appealing to young adult and adult audiences.

Moonhead and the Music MachineStory and Illustrations by Andrew Rae
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YA Fiction – Graphic Novel, 176 pages //  July 15, 2014

Nobrow Press // Recommended for ages 14+ 
Advanced Review Copy – Opinions are my own, review policy here.

Synopsis via Goodreads: 

Life's a peach when you've got a moon for a head and your head's in space. You can wander out of the Earth's atmosphere on intergalactic daydreams, drift blissfully across star-speckled skies and fly close to the Sun, like a fireproof Icarus.

Snap! Back to reality—having a moon for a head at high school is much more tricky. You get picked on for your "crater-face" and the cool kids kick your head around like a soccer ball!

But when the school talent contest is announced, Joey spots an opportunity to impress his classmates and so begins Joey Moonhead's stellar mission to create a music machine that is out of this world!

The Story:

Showcasing that we're all just a little different Joey Moonhead navigates high school with his spacey dreams and moon for a head. Joey's voice is authentic emphasizing the desire to fit in and define a place in this world where the secondary characters come across as two dimensional. There are opportunities where the best friend, the love interest and ghost boy to become more robust characters that add shading and highlights to Rae's amazing ink. Covering issues of bullying, disinterest in school and friendship Rae crafts a story that will ring true through the generations. However, more depth in this area could have truly made this a staple for teens and nostalgic adult readers. 

What makes this a winner is the illustrations which bring Joey's daydreams to the forefront. Going pages between letterings the reader can really grasp the emotions that fuel Joey's feelings of displacement, his lackluster attitude towards school and his love for making music. From the opening sequence of his headless school journey to his daydreams with the hottest girl in school, the visuals guide you to feel Joey's search for identity and really tied the story together.

Overall, the western 90's style illustrations leave a nostalgic taste for the fans of MTV and Nickelodeon, reminding us of the teenage wasteland we found so entertaining.

3.5 Stars – Intertwining humor and a little darkness, Moonhead and the Music Machine becomes a psychedelic ride in the spirit of 90's rock films tailored for the British school yard.