Michael Jackson in Comics!

February 1, 2021
Fans of Michael Jackson will revel in the adoration shown to him in NBM's latest biography in their series on great musicians. Taking readers from his musical beginnings with the Jackson 5 to his untimely death, in 2009, at age 50, Jackson's biography is told in a mix of prose essays and comics from a variety of artists. As a whole, the book feels somewhat disjointed and drawn out, with some information repeated between the comics and prose. The illustrations vary widely, from highly detailed artwork to those more cartoony, and while this approach is visually interesting, it adds to the story line's disordered nature. Readers looking for an impartial take on Michael Jackson's life and career will not find it here, as the infamous pedophilia accusations and lawsuits are dismissed as baseless since Jackson's guilt was not determined, and his generosity to children's causes is used as confirmation of his innocence, painting him as a sympathetic victim. If a patron requests this as a result of seeing Leaving Neverland, steer them in another direction.

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