I have been a big Lights fan ever since high school. I have followed her music from the very first albums all the way to her newest, Skin&Earth. It is my greatest joy to be able to bring you a review of her comic book, Skin & Earth which ties into her music album. The entire piece of work is an immersive experience that is not to be missed.
Summary
The full collection of Lights’ masterwork is here! Based on Lights album of the same name, Skin&Earth is a story of a girl looking for hope in a hopeless world. Caught between romance and cults, gods and mortals, and just trying to find a good borscht, Enaia Jin is lead down a dark path by new lovers that reveals a twisted fantasy world and her own true nature.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future ruled by the Tempest Corporation, the adventurous tale of loneliness, deceit and self-discovery that ties in with the 14-track corresponding album is compiled for the first time here with the complete comic book series and album in one epic interactive collected edition!
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this free book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Skin & Earth is an immersive experience to the core. Not only does each track of her album refer to part of the comic book, but the comic itself has QR codes within to link you to her music and bonus features. This makes reading a whole new level – one that I adored. Is there really anything Lights cannot do? There are all these gorgeous little world building details in the panels, and at the heart of the comic is so much more.
There’s layers of environmentalism, of heart break, and dystopic settings. It is way more complex that I expected. There are these large overarching storylines that span the entire book. At the same time, there are these webs of stories that layer on top of each other making this complex and hypnotic web. We fall into it gladly. Lights’s music lulls us in and soon we are right there with her main character Enaia. It is a richly woven tapestry of myths, legends, and beliefs.
Skin & Earth demonstrates the power of believing things into existence, wrongs committed against the ones we love, and the power of making it through the darkness. We must embrace the light and dark, that which hurts us and makes us feel alive. It is truly wonderful to get inside the music and the comic books because it invites you into a little corner of Lights’s world. However Skin & Earth is perfect for more than just Lights fans like myself. It’s for people who want to see a strong female heroine at the center, a character who relies on her wits, makes mistakes, but finds her own courage. Check out Skin & Earth on Goodreads.
I got this book too because of the synopsis. But now that you have mentioned that it is based on the music album by Lights, I am not sure if I would enjoy it as much as you did? Because I never heard lights 🙁
Ah well there are QR codes within that let you listen to the music while reading so that’s an option? But even as a comic alone I thought it was really great
Nooo way! I used to listen to Lights as a teenager as well! I absolutely need to listen to the new album & get my hands on the comic book
DO IT! I wish I could e-lend it to you, but I got it off Netgalley
I forgive you
haha thanks 😛