The depiction of the band members were well portrayed and the illustrations were done nicely.

But this was just was not cup of tea.

Thank you #NetGalley and Europe Comics for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Very fan to be able to know the history of the Velvet Underground by way of graphic novel. It was very insightful as well as easy to read. I would recommend this to anyone who loves music, and anyone who loves manga or graphic novels...so pretty much everyone? I would love to read another work by the same artist. Very beautifully drawn.

Very fan to be able to know the history of the Velvet Underground by way of graphic novel. It was very insightful as well as easy to read. I would recommend this to anyone who loves music, and anyone who loves manga or graphic novels...so pretty much everyone? I would love to read another work by the same artist. Very beautifully drawn.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very quick and beautifully illustrated graphic novel documenting the story and emergence of The Velvet Underground! I am a HUGE fan of the band and I knew their origin story before reading this. I found this coming interesting to look at but not to read. I had a huge problem with the pacing of the story, at times it was too slow and at times too fast. But I appreciated the humor and the art style was phenomenal!

At first i found it interesting but after a while the reading became dull even though the illustrations were beautiful.

I mean, this was entertaining for the 20 minutes or so it took to read. The illustrations were good but nothing all that memorable. No regrets.

This one left me wanting. I was excited to know more about the band's history and their impact on the music industry at large. However, the majority of the novel was just slice-of-life pieces, with a strong emphasis on the partying and drug use. The information about the band was little more than what you could find through a basic internet search, and wasn't even presented in an appealing way (one of the great strengths of using graphic novels as biographies!).

It wasn't awful, but it also didn't really impress. A solid "meh" from me.

I chose this book because while I enjoy their music, I really don’t know much about The Velvet Underground. This graphic novel was not an in-depth history about them, but was as good an introduction to the band as reading their Wikipedia… but far more entertaining. You won’t be an expert on The Velvet Underground after reading this, but it’s a fast, fun way to learn a little about them. The art was clean and minimalistic, with just enough detail. I’d really like to see a series of graphic novels similar to this on other classic (and contemporary) bands.

Sometimes biographies are easier to read as graphic novels, that was not the case here. I was very interested in the story of the Velvet Underground. A band known for it’s strange and experimental music. Apparently it is also known for its exorbitant drug use. I just got tired of that in the graphic novel. It may be true life, but that doesn’t mean I want to read about it. Too many music greats have been brought down by drugs and alcohol and this book just seems to glorify that lifestyle.

I’m a great fan of the Velvet Underground but sadly found this graphic novel to miss the mark. There was absolutely no detail or excitement about the band which is strange given this was the chosen topic of the book. It really felt a bit of a disappointment.

Esta graphic novel é completamente apaixonante. Além de contar a história de uma das maiores bandas que já existiram ela é irreverente e fala tanto das dificuldades da banda para se projetar no meio da música, quanto dos problemas pessoais enfrentados pelos membros.

O traço é lindo, simples, mas poderoso em expressar os sentimentos nos enquadramentos. As cores preto e rosa dão leveza e valorizam a legibilidade da revista. Recomendo.

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This graphic novel is completely gripping. Besides telling the story of one of the greatest bands that ever existed it is irreverent and speaks both of the difficulties of the band to project themselves in the music business, as the personal problems faced by members.

The tracing is beautiful, simple but powerful in expressing the feelings in the framings. The black and pink colours give lightness and value the readability of the magazine. I recommend.

It's okay if you're really into the Velvet Underground and enjoy reading a graphic novel rather than an actual novel.

2.5/5

This was an average read for me, which is a little sad because I love Rock n' Roll.

Things I liked:
- the pink, black and white colour palette
- most of the jokes

Things I disliked:
- there was no depth
- none of the people ('characters') left any impression, including greats like Lou Reed and Andy Warhol
- the inconsistent narrative

“We were playing together a long time ago, in a $30-a-month apartment, we really didn’t have any money, and we ate oatmeal all day and all night and we gave blood.” - Lou Reed, back cover quote.

Thank you to Europe Comics for a digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Story of the Velvet Underground’ by Prosperi Buri. It was published in May 2021 and was translated from the French by Tom Imber.

I find that Europe Comics often produces graphic novels/nonfiction that are quite different to the run-of-the-mill. This is a good example as it is a musical biography of this iconic 1960s band and their controversial music that pre-punk celebrated darker aspects of the 1960s including hard drug use and alternative lifestyles.

I wasn’t particularly aware of the Velvet’s music back in the day and only became more familiar with them in the context of their association with Andy Warhol and The Factory.

Prosperi Buri is a comic artist and a musician with an interest in the history of rock. He plunges straight into the story of the band without exposition and tells much of their history through dialogue. I would have welcomed information on his sources though I expect that plenty has been written about them.

Buri’s artistic style is unusual, wryly comical and reminiscent of the alternative style of the 1960-70s Underground Comix. He uses a limited palette of black, white, and shades of pink to great effect. Pink might seem a strange choice but I felt that it worked rather well even if not a traditional dramatic colour. It is quite a short book at 80 pages though Buri packs a great deal into it.

It certainly was an interesting way to learn more about The Velvet Underground.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This gives slightly more information and background than a Wikipedia page, but it doesn't really bring any of the people to life, and it's clunky to read. The artwork is minimalist, which can work for it, but since there's nothing to really pay attention to, your gaze just glosses over it. I'm enjoying all these graphic novels and picture books that are coming out about some of the most well-known bands of all time, but this one was a miss.

Interesting, although it mostly just made everyone out to be narcissistic jerks (although that was probably reality). Wish it would've included more backstory on the band members before VU. And, as always with graphic novels, it really just scratched the surface and missed some details that would've helped fill in the story.

Super funky read. I'm almost embarrassed to say I know next to nothing about The Velvet Underground. Reading this was fairly informational and I enjoyed the added bonus of the epilogue include.

The art style was a mix between refined and rough, it was enjoyable to read. Even more so, the color was fantastic.

Short read, approx 88 pages, good for an afternoon read especially if you're into behind the scenes style story telling of music and bands.

**Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

A fun and interesting story of the Velvet Underground. I loved this band and I loved the humour and the drawings.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A quick, fun read for readers who are interested in music and music bands. I loved the art work and the witty tone of dialogues that best characteristics of the band members.

This is a fun read for any fan of The Velvet Underground. This graphic novel does what is says on the tin, it is the story of The Velvet Underground.

I really enjoyed the graphic novel format for their story. I loved the use of pink and black in the artwork. The drawing style itself wasn't for me, personally. However, this is a book I would gift to someone who is a fan of their music.

The graphic novel format for telling a band's story is a really cool concept and it would be great to see a series of graphic novels about the histories of different bands.