Dave Chisholm utilizes the graphic novel format perfectly as he takes the parable of the blind men and the elephant as the jumping off point to define the structure of his fictionalized account of Charlie Parker's sojourn to California in the late 1940s, less than a decade before his death. Each chapter changes point of view as a new narrator -- a fellow musician, an artist, a fan, a lover, a mentee, and a record executive -- describes the little bit of Parker they came to know during their brief time with him. Chisholm also changes the style of his art for each chapter to reflect the new perspective and uses a Batman analogy to help comic fans like me understand the impact Parker had on jazz music.

I have not previously read anything about Parker or listened much to his music as jazz is not one of my favorite styles. His life seems like it could be simplified to another talented musician with a substance abuse problem, but Chisholm helps bring out some of the complexity of his mindset and the impact it had on the people around him. ( )