Reread: Like 'Misfit City', 'Heavy Vinyl' is not quite as cool or groundbreaking as it was in the fresh, early days of feminist comic books (around the mid-to-late 2010s... has it really been that long ago now?!!!), and there is lot more room for growth, development, and solid storytelling and stakes for it. But 'Heavy Vinyl' remains a good, funny, breezy, light read for all ages. The artwork, characters, and geeky references especially make it memorable and noteworthy. I'll be keeping the first volume, like a classic vinyl record, as part of my girl power collection.
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
CODE VIOLET! RECOMMENDED BOOK! RECOMMENDED BOOK!
Great artwork, and cute, diverse girls throwing punches as members of a femme, patriarchy-smashing fight club. Plus there's a deep knowledge and passion for music, going back to before the 21st century - the comic is set in 1998 - when vinyl records were the best. Still are to a lot of people; music fans and collectors.
Part 'Scooby-Doo', part 'Misfit City', part every-other-contemporary-comic-about-a-group-of-badass-girlfriends, all kinds of fun.
Holy 'Rate Queens', oh flash!, 'Goldie Vance', pop in for a spell, 'Spell on Wheels': Meet the new girl team in town, 'Heavy Vinyl' (aka 'Hi-Fi Fight Club').
Chris is an ordinary American teenager who has worked at her dream job at the record store, Vinyl Destination, for a month. But she feels unfulfilled and underappreciated by her colleagues somehow. They are leaving her out of the loop of things, like getting overtime work. Are they forming a band they don't want her, a scrawny new kid, in? A dorky, aspiring musician, Chris is lonely, confused, insecure, mixed-up, and left out.
Until a mystery surrounding a famous female singer's disappearance opens the gateway for her lady boss Irene and her equally-young staff to reveal their secret: The girls are not a band, but are part of an underground vigilante feminist organisation that has apparently been going on for ages.
Is awkward, clumsy Chris cut out to be a member of a teen girl fight club? Well, she'll be fired from Vinyl Destination if she says no, so...
The volume is light and cute, considering its subject matter. Mostly it's about music, and working at a record shop - a feat to keep engaging and endearing in an all-visual medium such as graphic novels. It's humorous, well-paced, and the action is used sparingly, but it's satisfying to see expert, amateur and starter female fighters! Boxing, martial arts, stunts - the whole package! It's wicked representation! Almost no men in sight.
The characters - the fight club girls - are fun, funny and distinct. Even if they appear one-note, stereotypical and shallow at first - like the moody goth girl Dolores, and Kennedy, the African American of the cast who throws the best punches and has a dude-in-distress boyfriend, but with not much else to her - they are still interesting. Chris's crush on the cute blonde Maggie, who is full of surprises, is really adorable, and I love how freaking normalised this is. Because girls liking girls is normal, no matter how old they are. One of the girls has two dads! And Chris is not the only one in the group who is queer! In fact, three or more of them might be! Irene IS the boss in more than one sense.
FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS EVERYWHERE!
Nice, improving, fact-of-life diversity we are seeing in comics right now. For children, for young adults. For everyone.
I'd only liked to have seen more development from this group - Chris receives all of it. 'Heavy Vinyl' is her coming-of-age piece, and she happens to be a tomboy. Not a vinyl scratch of a big deal. I know she's the protag, and it is early days, but give us something more substantial from the other characters.
Everybody is thin - body rep is lacking, as well as POC in equal ratio to the white people.
There are four issues contained in the first volume and it ends in a cliffhanger, and not much happens that feels like anything gets a closure. I was left kind of cold. At least I'd like to see these cool ladies again.
Also, what exactly is this fight club? Is it just local? International? Global? How long has it been around? Who founded it? Is it funded? What are its contacts? If it doesn't have any or has only a small number, then it can't be very effective at what it does. The examples the story shows of the vigilante girls fighting sexism in society seem sparse; almost like an afterthought. Why is it so secretive? It could help out a lot in terms of beating the patriarchy and ending all bigotry. I guess it is starting points for the internet in 1998.
So far not much seems to be at stake here. "Ruining music" doesn't sound like a giant threat. "Ruining music and free will" might do, but...
It's just so, so silly. Like Saturday morning cartoon silly.
But... it definitely has room to grow.
I love the twist on the damsel in distress trope at the end. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that it's not the girls who need saving in this comic. They have everything under control, thank you very much.
'Heavy Vinyl, Vol. 1' is, overall, really cool. Colourful and fashionable. Simple, but a joyful ride, like a sunny day out at an amusement park, or a cheesy kid's adventure movie. It could be an awesome cult TV show. Girl power is serious business, and the comic knows it.
Code Violet doesn't end there. It may never will. The patriarchy has its
On that heavy note, have a breezy summer's day! Earphones in, records playing somewhere, 'Heavy Vinyl' in hand!
Final Score: 3.5/5
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