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Bluesman, Book 3

By Philip Schweier
October 31, 2006 - 17:20

**image2***Reviewing the third book in a three-part series does not lend itself toward an entirely fair assessment, but I’ll give it a go. Bluesman tells the story of Lem Taylor, a traveling musician in the late 1920s, who, by the start of chapter 3, is on the run from the law. Accused of murder, he is also pursued by the bigoted Colonel Bilyeu, who would love nothing more than to see Taylor strung up. Not having read the first two chapters, I can only presume that Taylor is innocent of the killing.

It is obvious to me that writer Rob Vollmar put an enormous amount of research into the era and environment Lem Taylor inhabits, bringing a great deal of authenticity to various story elements. Unfortunately, it fails to make the book a satisfying read. I found some of the dialogue a bit awkward, but perhaps such was the speech pattern in the Ozarks of the 1920s. As the story winds down, he fails to exonerate himself, nor does he reveal the true killer as one might expect from a mystery thriller. The story seems to merely stop, rather than truly end.

The art is interesting, using a scratchboard technique seldom seen in comics. It’s tricky to pull off effectively, and can be unforgiving as a narrative tool. Callejo seems quite adept at making it work for him, while achieving a nice balance of detail – enough to get the point across, not so much to make any given panel look too cluttered.

Again, having read only one-third of the overall story, I would hope that this review be taken with a grain of salt.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12