It’s Gail’s one shot at Broadway fame and glory and all she has to do is write the greatest jazz song ever, in one weekend. Your Major Spoilers review of Deep Cuts #2 awaits!

DEEP CUTS #2

Writer: Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark
Artist: Helena Masellis
Colorist: Igor Monti
Letterer: Hassan Ottsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: May 31st, 2023

Previously in Deep Cuts: An interwoven tale bound by music had begun in New Orleans in 1917 and now has moved forward to 1928 Chicago.

HERE FOR THE MUSIC

Deep Cuts #2 opens up in 1928 as Gail Geldstein is trying to put the finishing touches on her first Broadway show, but things are not looking good.  Her producer shares his doubts with her, but they both believe that the show can be saved if they just had one big jazzy hit number.  Gail then goes back home to Chicago.  She puts together a song and her family points her in the direction of a music publisher named Ray. Ray then introduces Gail to the underground world of Chicago jazz clubs.  Over the weekend she meets an array of people, each one influencing her just a little bit more.  By the end of the weekend, Gail has put together something that she thinks will be the thing that saves her show and catapults her into stardom.  Yet, by the time she gets back to New York, other events in the world have transpired which threatens the fame she wants.

SURPRISINGLY STRAIGHTFORWARD FOR A STORY ABOUT JAZZ

Deep Cuts #2 should be commended for telling its story without falling into bombastic or melodramatic methods.  Nothing feels overblown, it’s the epitome of “slice of life” and allows for the realistic tensions and historical events to be the drama.  That being said, at times, the understated nature of the writing is its downfall.  There are legitimate moments of tension that touch on things like racism, sexism, class divide, and interracial romance, but all of these things are glossed over quickly and things just move on to the next scene.  Even the triumphant moment when the song that Gail has been struggling so hard to write, just seems to appear out of nowhere and then receives no fanfare, not even from Gail herself.  What’s even stranger is that for a double-sized issue, it still manages to rush the ending.  Ultimately, this is just an unusual sort of comic to read, it has all the pieces and framework for an interesting and grounded story, but then puts it together in the least interesting way it could.

THE REAL REASON TO PICK UP THIS ISSUE

The story issues aside, Deep Cuts #2 is still something to be checked out and that is solely due to the visuals. From front cover to the back cover, this comic hits the mark in every single aspect.  Helena Masellis uses the time period effectively as the interiors look like hand-drawn and colored prohibition-era advertisements, fashion journals, and New Yorker illustrations all thrown together and put into panels.   Typically doesn’t get much attention, is the lettering but, here it should be highlighted.  The handwritten look of the letters gave the whole story the appearance of being written down into a bigger volume, which is fitting for the anthology style of the series.  Finally, a small touch, but an effective one, is the design choices used for the credits page and the back cover which both mimic the look of early record cover stylings, which is just the type of little touch that will set this series apart from others, visually at least.

BOTTOM LINE:  NOT THE STRONGEST SINGLE

The approach to interconnected storytelling that Deep Cuts has shown in its first two issues has been a subtle yet interesting one and because of that, it’s hard to not recommend Deep Cuts #2. But, on its own, it just isn’t very compelling in terms of storytelling.  The exact opposite can be said about its visuals though, which is worth the price of admission on their own.  4 out of 5 stars.

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Deep Cuts #2

83%

83%

It Sure Is Pretty

Deep Cuts #2 isn’t going to make any headlines with its storytelling, but thankfully an exceptional showing in the art department keeps this one well above average.

• Writing

  5
• Art

  10
• Coloring

  10
• User Ratings (1 Votes)
  8