I have to admit that when I heard there was a comic about Adele, I was a little geeked. Not just because I love Adele, but because my mother is OBSESSED! Looking at the cover of Bluewater’s new FAME: Adele comic book, I was struck by how much it reminded me of the famous Andy Warhol Marilyn paintings; how fitting. This cover is, of course, more pixillated than Warhol’s, using geometric shaping. It’s a highly stylized and very ’80s retro, much like my favorite cartoon of the time, Jem (although that information is top secret). If you are a fan of Adele, young or old, this is a comic for your collection – be it your collection of comics, magazines, CDs, DVDs, autographs . . . hair clippings. The idea of creating a series of comic books centered on modern icons is ingenious. The comic’s creator, Michael Troy, has certainly aimed high with his comic FAME: Adele.

The first image we see upon opening the issue is Adele’s silhouette surrounded by flames as we are told, “. . . This is Adele. This is her story.” It is quite apparent that Troy has a gift for writing by this first interlude, amongst others, dispersed throughout the comic; however, more often than not, he is oversimplifying the text to the point the story becomes less exciting despite the subject matter. He has difficulty making the factual text as exciting and fluid as his narration, albeit that is a difficult undertaking for almost any writer. Michael is able to add some zest into the story through quotes from Adele throughout her time in the spotlight. Being the research junkie that I am (and by that I mean IMDB addict), I would have loved information on where/when she said the quotes. I am sure people like my mother and the teenagers I used teach would love to know, as well.

Bluewater has made Troy’s job more difficult by choosing such a young artist to focus on. Adele is still new to the industry, having only truly released two records. It really would have been fascinating to have had the comic spend more time on her years in art school or growing up with her mother, as both were, apparently, so influential to her music. As it stands, the comic feels, at times, a little disjointed and missing the pizzazz that the introduction page offered so effortlessly. It is obvious the talent and concept is there, but creating an entertaining biographical comic is such a daunting task. In this case, the publisher played it too safe, and the comic became overwhelmed by the magnitude of the star’s power. In the end, it is a comic all fans should definitely own, I just wish it had more fire.