Disconnect

by Magnus Merklin

Næsten et år efter deres ven gik bort, genforenes to unge musikere i sommerhuset, hvor de plejede at øve med deres trio DiSCONNECT. Efter fundet af vennens ufærdige demoer, giver de to sig i kast med at færdiggøre dem.

Med forskellige tilgange til hvad det vil sige at være tilbage sammen, kommer den kreative proces og deres venskab på spil, mens en langt mere presserende proces lurer under overfladen.

Den grafiske roman DiSCONNECT af den danske kunstner Magnus Merklin blander traditionelle og digitale teknikker for at udforske sorg, venskab og kreativ heling.

Genres: Comics

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 7, 2025

Reviews

[Adam Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a tear jerker!

This review was posted on X @AdamReadsComics

There are times in our life when everything seems to be going the best it possibly can be. Then sometimes, we lose someone, either through death or other circumstances, and the magic of those times of joy and seeming perfection disappears. Such is the way of life: a series of highs and lows. We have no choice but to embrace it.
Disconnect is the story of two friends who come back together after the death of their friend, their third in the trio they made music with. One has “grown up” and still mourns, the other dulls the pain with alcohol, cigarettes, and partying. One has put away his gear and barely created music, the other “hears the music of the world” and needs its artistry. The story that unfolds is one of loss and remembrance.
Indie comics author and artist Magnus Merklin dedicated this book to his friend Leon, and thus it feels somewhat autobiographical. I too lost a close friend in high school and so this resonates pretty strongly with me. I raise my glass to your friend Leon and my friend James.
This title is in your LCS and LBS today and is definitely worth your time. Share with your friends and remember the good times.

[Josh]

Are art and past friendship enough to overcome the painful void left behind by both time and grief?

Full review at: https://noflyingnotights.com/blog/202...

[Michael Doane · Rating 5 out of 5]

DiSCONNECT is a quiet, emotionally precise graphic novel that examines grief not as a singular event, but as an ongoing process one that reshapes friendship, creativity, and memory long after loss has occurred. Set nearly a year after the death of a close friend, Magnus Merklin’s work follows two young musicians who reunite in a summer house once shared with their trio, attempting to complete the unfinished demo recordings their friend left behind.

At its core, DiSCONNECT is about return: to a place, to a collaboration, and to a version of oneself that no longer fully exists. The act of finishing the demos becomes both an artistic project and a confrontation with absence. Each character carries a different understanding of what it means to be “back together,” and this tension fuels the narrative with subtle emotional friction rather than overt conflict.

Merklin’s blending of traditional and digital illustration techniques mirrors the book’s thematic concerns. The visual language feels deliberately restrained, allowing silence, space, and rhythm to do much of the emotional work. Panels often linger, echoing the pauses inherent in grief and in the creative process itself. Music though unheard permeates the story, shaping pacing and mood in ways that feel intuitive rather than illustrative.

What distinguishes DiSCONNECT is its refusal to rush resolution. Beneath the surface of creative collaboration lies a more urgent, unspoken reckoning with loss, guilt, and the fear of moving forward without the person who once anchored the group. Healing here is neither linear nor guaranteed; it emerges tentatively, through shared effort and the fragile act of making something together again.

Spare, thoughtful, and emotionally resonant, DiSCONNECT is a compelling exploration of how art becomes a meeting place for grief and survival. It will resonate strongly with readers drawn to graphic literature that values atmosphere, emotional authenticity, and the quiet complexities of human connection.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnus Merlin’s new graphic novel is ostensibly about a cat and a frog recording some music over a weekend. You might have expected that this would have been a silly little romp about recording contracts or a battle of the bands, but this is not that kind of story at all.
Instead, disconnect is a deep look at friendship and coping with loss through shared trauma and music.

Often, I get annoyed at comics with slow pacing. "Nothing is happening!"... but this is the exception to that rule. The wordless musical jam sessions speak volumes more than paragraphs of words might. Comics are not always well suited for a story about musicians, besides the occasional biography of a rock star, but this really makes me believe that Magnus knows what it’s like to be in a band and trying to get your emotions out through jamming rather than talking.

The artwork seems deceptively simple at first, with black and white line work? But it also develops its own visual language of colors and shapes to represent music rather than just musical notes

The anthropomorphic character designs help us get a sense of the characters archetypes without being distracting.

At 156 pages, it's impressive that there are so few characters. Mostly keeping the action to just the 2 or three protagonists to focus on their internal struggle rather than their outward adventures.

The dialog leaves a lot unsaid. A less skilled author might have put “I’m sad, our friend died” but Merklin instead has created realistic organic conversations letting the reader infer what is going on with the characters. “Show it don’t tell it”

The sobering subject matter might be able to help others confront their own relationships and comes to terms with real life loss.

[Bia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐

DiSCONNECT put me through a rollercoaster of emotions, I laughed and cried together with the characters. Definitely recommend if you are on the lookout for an emotional read or want to experiment with out of your comfort zone formats!

This story is about two young musicians who get together again almost a year after the third band member passed, and decide to finish an unfinished song. This of course has a lot of challenges, especially since they seem to cope with their grief in completely different ways. Can their friendship survive losing their friend, and can they continue being musicians or is this the end of their creative journey?

I'm not an expert in any way when it comes to graphic novels, but I thought there were a lot of innovative solutions in this one and the way it made music pour off the pages was an outstanding achievement.

I really liked the art style and the portrayal of the main characters as animal like anthropomorphic beings was a great choice, since it underlined the fact that grief and trauma effect every single one of us no matter our background or appearance. The illustration of music by different colours and shapes worked really well and I felt immersed in it completely.

There is a lot that goes unsaid but a huge advantage of graphic novels is that the facial expressions and the body language say a lot without words. I also liked the inclusion of flashbacks and how well they fit into the current events.

There are heavy themes explored in DiSCONNECT, but I felt it was handled with the necessary care and attention to detail. Please note that this graphic novel is recommended to ages 16+.

I am profoundly grateful to Black Panel Press and Magnus Merklin for providing a review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Grant Laird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Color & abstract is the MUSIC!

DiSCONNECT Hardcover by Magnus Merklin - Author, Artist
Publisher: Black Panel Press

Visuals and Style: The book is a hardcover, primarily printed in black and white, with occasional color pages. The use of anthropomorphic animal characters works surprisingly well within the narrative. What impressed me most was the unique way the book illustrates sound. Even though I am not a big music enthusiast, the abstract style and use of color effectively visualize the music being played, clearly showing when the sounds were "off the radius" from one or other of the characters. I loved the color and abstract style used for the sound backgrounds.

Story Summary: The plot centers on three young musicians who once played incredible music together at a remote cabin. Following the tragic death of one of the friends, the two survivors reconnect for the first time after one year. They receive permission from the deceased friend's parents to stay at the same cabin for a week's vacation in exchange for fixing the leaking roof.

Emotional Journey: The two remaining friends attempt to play music again with their drum set and guitar. They struggle to find their amazing sounds, a clear acknowledgment of how much they miss their best friend. The story follows their emotional journey through fights, crying, and conversations as they try to reconnect with their music and each other.

I really enjoyed it even better than I expected. I love the color and abstract style in the sound background! The graphic novel, DiSCONNECT by Magnus Merklin, is a compelling read that exceeded my expectations.

[Steven Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an emotional story about the loss, grief, and finding a way to continue on. Most of the story follows the other band members meeting back up later in life to finish a track.
I’ll be honest, the art style isn’t my favorite and can be confusing at times, but the story is great enough to keep you compelled and you still learn to love and feel for the characters. As a musician I enjoyed the way the book uses music to connect to the reader as well. My favorite part is the “soundtrack”. There are moments where the characters listen to songs. If you listen to them as you read it, it becomes almost diegetic like a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I’ve complied the songs in a list and even added some myself to fill up the “soundtrack” just press play on the page #:

The XX- “Intro” (Prologue pg. 1)
The Zombies- “This Will Be Our Year” (pg. 7)
Paul Simon- “Some Folks Lives” (pg. 12)
Bob Dylan- “Meet Me In The Morning” (Disconnect_4Ever pg. 23)
Dire Straits- “Where Do You Think You’re Going?” (Pg. 41)
MF Doom- “Great Day” (pg. 45)
Gotan Project- “La Vigüela” (pg. 63)
The Beatles- “Fixing A Hole” (pg. 75)
Jean Permentier- “French Quarters in Rain” (uhm.. peace. Pg 96)
Moby- “Novio” (One Thing At A Time pg. 129)
Oasis- Fu**in in the Bushes (Epilogue pg. 150)

Enjoy! 🤘🏼😎🤘🏼

[John Bernardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

*a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher and in no way has it affected my thoughts on the book itself*

A story about grief and how it can affect your creative outlet.

It was pretty obvious early on where this story was going. While it did hit the landing, I found it took too long to get there and wasn’t paced very well. The art at times was confusing and I don’t feel like it captured playing music properly in its visuals (which is hard to do)

Still a sad tear jerk of a story. Especially if you play music in a group and lose a key member of that family

3.5 out of 5 (cause GR doesn’t have half stars)

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this book as a collaboration and even if I'm not the biggest fan of graphic novels it made my days better. The story is the purest and sweetest ever. The main themes, friendship and new beginnings, are well treated. The drawings are truly spectacular! The only thing that I didn't fully like where the repetitions of dude and bro. In the end : this is a really good job !
By a.readers.life.victo

[Morgan Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel is a story about overcoming tragedy with the power of friendship.

The two character’s experience the loss of their band mate and they end up going in different directions. They come back to a familiar space to share their passion of music once again. While still facing the sad reality of loss, they find their old band mates music and dive back into what they once had.

Using their love of music to work through grief and loss, this was a common story of overcoming trauma.

[Jason M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

DiSCONNECT is a heartfelt and emotional graphic novel that explores grief, friendship, and the healing power of creativity. It captures the ups and downs of losing someone close and the struggle to reconnect through shared memories and art. The story felt genuine and touching, and its themes resonated deeply. While the art style wasn’t exactly to my personal taste, it still fit the mood of the story well. Overall, a moving and thoughtful debut from Magnus Merklin.

[Pamela Witte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clear-headed, touching book on friendship and grief. Not heavy, not sappy. The friendship of the three characters was so well-defined. I liked this graphic novel a lot. Seamless writing, perfect artwork. A gem hiding in plain sight.

[Luke Coolbear · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story of two friends overcoming grief. Its a very stylized, and funky graphic novel. the art style reminds me of early 2000's punk zines. the way it visually depicts how the musicians sounds fit together is very interesting. Definitely worth the read.

[David Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merklin's graphic novel is a raw, at times hard-to-read depiction of grief and loss. It's a powerful reminder that everyone grieves and changes differently and sometimes confrontationally. A quick but powerful read.

[Sandwich Control · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. Merklin does a great job taking you through an emotional rollercoaster in the guise of the creative process of making music. So good.

[Hunter Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of music and friendship that really hits you in the feels. After reuniting to continue their music remnants of a tight band process their grief through creative process.

[Robbie Vermillion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent debut graphic novel. Great exploration of grief and continuing creativity through the pain of loss.

[Jack Vinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three friends in a band, but one of them dies. How do the others work it out? How do you handle the loss? How do you handle each other?