Icongraphics – David Bowie: The Graphic Novel

by Brian Freschi

This intriguing graphic novel exudes cult status, as it follows the life of David Bowie in the Berlin years of the 1970s.

A musician, a visionary, a shapeshifter – David Bowie was an artist of reinvention who was many things to many people, including himself. Through legendary personas, such as Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke, his fearless individuality inspired many. But where did the real Bowie exist and what journey did he make to rediscover himself?

This graphic novel follows his friendship with Iggy Pop and other musicians, including Brian Eno; it charts his life during this decade and explores the background to his seminal albums Heroes, Low, and Lodger. Calling ground control to all major Bowie fans, this is an essential collector’s classic.

The IconGraphic series

Depicting the stories of cultural legends, told in the bold, contemporary and captivating format of the graphic novel, the series includes the lives of Alexander McQueen, Coco Chanel, Taylor Swift and David Bowie.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Biography, Comics, Music

128 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Brian Freschi, classe 1993, scrive racconti per la rivista online “L’Inquieto” prima di diplomarsi in sceneggiatura presso l’Accademia Internazionale di Comics a Firenze. Dal 2015 collabora con il collettivo Manticora Autoproduzioni (Der Krampus, Le Piccole Morti, Maison LàLà, Nessuno ci farà entrare) e con diverse realtà del fumetto italiano. Gli anni che restano (BAO Publishing) è il suo primo graphic novel.

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic biography focuses on Bowie’s time in Berlin in the 70s. It’s a bit disjointed and requires prior knowledge and the artwork isn’t that great either (Bowie and Iggy aren’t recognisable!).

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been a big Bowie fan for years and was excited to see a graphic novel looking at a part of his life, a graphic novel is a great idea for exploring Bowie's life I think. Sadly, this just fell flat. Even though this series seems to be pretty basic introductions to famous creatives, I expected a bit more. The pacing was uneven and doesn't really bother with actually characterizing any of the people in it. It also expects you to have basic knowledge of Bowie already, so someone jumping in blind will be pretty confused. All in all, this was a disappointing one for me.
Also, another reviewer commented on the font used and I really can't agree more. I'm not sure if it wasn't also an issue with the NetGalley Reader making the whole graphic novel difficult to read but it put a lot of strain on the eyes.

[Shyames · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing I have to thank this title for is bringing me back to Bowie's music, I've been coming back to my favourite titles thanks to this.

While this graphic novel zeroes down on Bowie's years in Berlin, his relationship with Iggy and the albums from that time, I feel like some more context for before/after would be welcomed. I'm not new to Bowie and read some stuff about his life before, but if this is picked up by someone that hasn't the faintest idea about David, besides his name and a few songs, it might not do a good job of trying to encourage to find out more information on your own. There's an assumption here, I guess, that the reader knows not only about Bowie but also people surrounding him, so there's not much of a background here. That said, the story seems to focus more on the artist's state of mind than his life, so it might have been the author's goal here.

The graphic style is perfectly suitable for depicting Bowie's story, reminds me of some old comics about superheroes - great choice. Overall, a nice read, but it's easy to get lost here.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel zeroes in on Bowie’s Berlin years in the late 1970s, an era defined by reinvention, collaboration, and survival. The story follows his partnership with Iggy Pop and Brian Eno, the making of the Low and Heroes albums, and the darker reality behind it all—two artists holed up in Berlin, trying to get clean while Bowie struggled under the weight of fractured personas, a failing marriage, and the demands of fatherhood and fame.

The book captures how Berlin itself—divided, raw, and brimming with tension—was as much a character in the story as Bowie. The illustrations lean toward loose, inky strips that sometimes miss details (like Bowie’s famously mismatched pupils were colored differently—not so irl), but they carry a gritty energy that suits the subject.

What emerges is a portrait of an artist both broken and brilliant, searching for his own center while building two of his greatest records in the shadow of the Wall. It’s a compelling read that comes with its own soundtrack—and for me, it was a welcome excuse to listen to Low and Heroes in full for the first time since high school.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off ok but started to lose me halfway. I love David Bowie and listened to most of his music for a good chunk of a year straight back in high school. I found it interesting to learn about his life and how he created some of the albums but this book just didn't do it for me. I enjoyed some of the art but overall I'd rate this 3.5/5⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel was ok but transitionally wasn't as smooth as other other bio graphic novels I have read, like The Twilight Man from Koren Shadmi.

I didn't connect with transitions back and forth from the interviewer to a third person narrative, and sometimes it was unclear what characters were portrayed and their relevance to Bowie during this period of his career

[KaysKillerReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun artwork and a quick read. As a huge Bowie fan, I enjoyed the concept, but it’s not something I’d add to my personal collection.

[Emilie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. Unfortunately, I hate it.

DNF @ 43%

I was really hopeful going into this graphic novel. I’m a big fan of David Bowie, so I was thinking this would be a hit… unfortunately it was a massive miss for me. While I loved the bright colors of the illustration, the style was not my favorite as it felt inconsistent. The font that was used was hard to read at times because of the slant of the letters as well as the spacing between the letters. I would have preferred a more typical graphic novel/manga font for improved readability.

The plot itself just didn’t work for me. I’m not sure why the book started with the focus being on the journalist. Seemed like wasted time considering the graphic novel isn’t that long. I’m also wondering why the author chose this time period of Bowie’s life. Since this isn’t a series, I was a bit confused by that choice.

My one MAJOR complaint that led to me DNFing… Davie Bowie is literally drawn with a brown eye. It made me completely question the author’s motivation for this graphic novel as well as if the author is knowledgeable enough to be authoring a graphic novel about David Bowie… or perhaps just didn’t care enough? It was so incredibly distracting, especially since I feel David Bowie’s eyes are pretty iconic due to him having anisocoria (causing a dilated, fixed pupil).

[Thadeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this take on a part of David Bowie’s life. I learned some things I didn’t know and the graphic novel was beautifully illustrated. Thanks NetGallery!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Gemini Gift Books Limited for an advance copy of this graphic novel that tells of the wanderings of a rock star, lost in the world that was changing, and the city that saved him and restarted his creative life, making some albums that still sound from the future, not the past.

When I first started getting into music there were some musicians I couldn't get into. Some were too rock, some like Dylan looked like work and not enjoyment. And David Bowie. David Bowie was both too cool, and too much for me to take in. Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom same man different personas with different kinds of sound. Bowie was doctorate level music, I was still learning about tra-la-la in songs. Working in the record store was my Sorbonne, where I learned music and more importantly what I liked. Bowie's albums were being reissued on CD from Rykodisc I believe so there was a lot of Bowie being played. The Berlin albums were my favorites. Heroes a song that I still get chills when I listen to. Low just for its musical atmosphere and sounds that sill are fresh even 50 years later. All of this time and much more are covered in this graphic novel, Icongraphics – David Bowie written by Brian Freschi and illustrated by Simone Pace.

By the mid 70's David Bowie was breaking down. Bowie was in LA, taking too many drugs, eating too little food, and at a creative loss. His career had been made by taking on personas and performing as them, along with creating songs geared to that persona. Bowie had no idea who he was, or where to go with his music. Until a casual comment about Berlin was made. Before that Bowie was to produce Iggy Pop's latest album The Idiot. Bowie began to tour with Pop, and thinking about what he wanted next. Berlin was a place to get away from drugs, and being Bowie. Where he could wander, create and not face pressures to perform. The idea of making the ambiance of the music first, creating soundscapes came to mind. This allowed him not to worry about writing lyrics, as he recharged his creative soul. Bowie surrounded himself with like-minded people, new technology and went for it. The results are all sound and vision.

An interesting telling of the wanderings of Bowie in Germany. The story is told through a reporter telling a story while seeking a story, to the narrative view is a little removed. This might not be for beginners as much is assumed to be known. Bowie's drug use. Who Iggy Pop and Brian Eno were, and their importance, even their pasts. However much is also covered, the divorce Bowie was going through mentions of a milk and red pepper diet that made sense while Bowie was deep into addiction. And the intoxicating effect that the city of Berlin had on Bowie, creatively inspiring him to great heights, and maybe even saving his life. The art is quite good, a mystical feeling in parts, with fine renditions of the instruments in the recording studio, and really good designs on the characters and of Berlin itself.

A good place to start to learn more about Bowie, with a bibliography of books and music to investigate to learn more. And with Bowie there is always much more to learn. This is my first time with this series, I'd like to read more.

[J Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iconographics - David Bowie, by Brian Freschi, is a fun romp through a very important period of Bowie's life and career.

This is not a complete biography so anyone who doesn't have some idea of Bowie's career timeline will feel like they've been dropped into the middle of the story, mainly because they have. That isn't a weakness of the book, it is true of any book that focuses on one specific period. You can only give so much contextualization without turning it into something else. That said, you don't have to be a Bowie expert to appreciate it, just have some idea what came before this period.

My first Bowie album was David Bowie (Space Oddity), so 1970, and I bought his albums thereafter shortly after release. When the albums of his Berlin period were released I remember, along with many of my friends, being unsure how to approach them. Low took us a little by surprise but most of us kept spinning it. I think it was the release of "Heroes" that really brought us back into the fold. Fortunately they were released fairly close together and most of us hadn't stopped being fans. But even through all of the interviews and books since then, this period has been endlessly fascinating.

For older fans like me, this graphic novel takes you back to that time, the work that had been brewing in Europe and just periodically bubbling up in America. Growing up near military bases (I was a Navy brat) then joining the Navy in 1976 gave me the opportunity to hear a lot of music that didn't always make it onto the radio stations, so Bowie's new direction, while still startling, wasn't completely foreign to me. I met some people in the Navy who weren't from military families and hadn't scrounged the import record stores who found these albums simply incomprehensible. Now, everyone who likes Bowie has at least some appreciation of the music and a lot of understanding about how this period helped influence the rest of his life and career.

There are certainly things one can nitpick but on the whole this volume does a good job of giving the reader some idea of how and why Bowie ended up working in Berlin and with the people he did. If it piques your curiosity and you want to know more, there is a lot of more in depth writing available, only so much can be presented in graphic form.

Highly recommended for Bowie fans and for those who have some understanding of Bowie's career, before and after this period. Yes, the drawings do often show him with a brown eye, but the point being made is that because of the pupil dilation the iris wasn't able to process light correctly so did, in fact, appear as a different color. Even one or two of his album covers showed the eye leaning very close to brown while others highlighted the bluish color but just a little darker. In other words, if the shading is what is most important to you, you might want to read something else, this book is more about his life and career and not exactly what color his eye appears in different lighting environments.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Allen Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Bowie was a fascinating man who feels right at home within the pages of a graphic novel. Rather than charting his overall life and career, this graphic novel zeroes in the Berlin era and, even more specifically, the recording of "Low" and "Heroes". What's most notable about this era is Bowie's shedding of the various personas that he had embodied during earlier albums. This makes for a very interesting time in his life on which to focus, however, this also limits its audience to those already somewhat familiar with Bowie's career. Throughout reading this graphic novel, I kept thinking to myself that it felt more like a sequel than a stand-alone story. I can certainly understand the writer's desire to focus on such a pivotal time in Bowie's life, but the comic would've benefitted from more background on the time leading up to the Berlin era.

Simone Pace's art does an excellent job of transitioning between trippy, grand visuals and quieter, character-based moments. Brian Feschi's narration can feel a bit dry at times and I couldn't help but wish that he had leaned more into the naturalistic dialogue that I thought worked much better to convey the thoughts and actions of the characters.

All-in-all, I have mixed feelings about this graphic novel. It was good for me. Anyone more familiar with the life and career of David Bowie will likely appreciate the focus on such a key time in his life. Anyone less familiar with the details of his life, may want to do a bit more reading on his earlier years before diving into the Berlin era.

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Icongraphics - David Bowie is a graphic novel that tells the story of David Bowie behind the extravagant showmanship.

This was unfortunately a hard DNF for me around 23%. I'm usually not one to DNF a graphic novel, especially about something I'm interested in. However there were multiple factors that led me to DNFing this.

The primary factor that led me to DNFing this graphic novel was the font used. I know it's a more typical font within the graphic novel scene - however the spacing between letters made it nearly impossible for me to read the words. At first I thought it was simply that my eyes were fatigued from reading all day, so I slept on it and returned to the graphic novel the following day. However, that was unfortunately not the case and I still found the font difficult to read after returning to it.

The other factor is that this graphic novel does jump around a lot. Even with the beginning, it's slightly hard to follow and picture at what point we're at within Bowie's life.

In my opinion this graphic novel is definitely something that will be more of a collectors item to put on display than something to actually read.

This was read as an ARC via NetGalley.

[Xine Segalas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iconographics: David Bowie by Brian Freschi, with illustrations by Simone Pace, is a graphic novel centered on Bowie’s Berlin years of the 1970s. I’ve always loved Bowie, and his songs have been a big part of the soundtrack to my life—especially Heroes—so I was excited to see this period highlighted in graphic form.
The artwork is bold, psychedelic, and expressive, perfectly capturing Bowie’s energy and reinvention. But while visually striking, the storytelling can be hard to follow, and at times it felt like the book assumed readers already had a strong knowledge of this era. The first couple of pages—an opening letter from the author—also rush through so much of Bowie’s earlier history that it almost gets lost. I found myself wishing the title made it clear that this isn’t Bowie’s whole story, but specifically his Berlin years.
Even so, I enjoyed reading and learning about this period, and it has me listening to Bowie’s music again with fresh ears. Overall, it’s a creative and visually interesting take on a fascinating chapter of his life, but not as accessible or comprehensive as I’d hoped.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gemini Grit Books for the chance to read and review this graphic novel.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a pretty deep knowledge of Bowie. I’ve read many biographies, liner notes, fan pages, and more throughout my 20+ year fandom, so I was primed and ready to love this. But as other reviewers have pointed out, the narrative structure is near impossible to follow. I don’t understand why the years keep jumping back and forth from earlier influences, to his time in Berlin, to slightly before Berlin, to interviewers who are not named. The art style seems to vary a bit as well, so other than Bowie and Iggy Pop, it was hard to visually distinguish all the male characters from each other.

I really was excited to read this, but I DNFed around 35%. I have no idea what is going on. I think this book may have worked better in a straightforward chronology with flashbacks clearly demarcated with a color shift or something.

Contributing to the difficulty in reading the overall narrative structure is the formatting on the Netgalley ebook that may or may not be in the final edition: a very thin font that requires a lot of zooming and squinting to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gemini Books Group for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

2/5 stars
Pub date: November 6, 2025

[Ashley Bentley · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Bowie fan, I went into this book really excited, but honestly, it left me disappointed. While the illustrations are undeniable unique, the overall structure felt disjointed. The book jumps between different photographers and eras without much flow, and instead of feeling like a cohesive tribute, it came across more like a random scrapbook or a dumping of random thoughts.

The anecdotes from photographers were hit or miss for me—some were engaging, but others felt like filler and didn’t add much insight into Bowie himself. I also found the layout a bit overwhelming. At times it felt more like a showcase than a true celebration of Bowie’s artistry and evolution.

It’s a an impressive-looking book, with a cool cover but for me, it didn’t have the emotional pull or clear vision I was hoping for. If you’re hoping for a more thoughtful, connected portrait of Bowie, this may fall flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gemini Gift Books Limited for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 1 out of 5]

As the author states, everyone has their own David Bowie, where the hell they got theirs is from the land of pure imagination. I wanted to have an open mind but when the cover has Bowie with two different colored eyes, which he did not, one was permanently dilated, and then Bowie is at an airport getting ready to fly, one presumes, when this was notoriously during the time he refused to fly, this ignorance of simple verifiable facts left me baffled. But then this book is a confusing melange of Bowie working and living in Berlin with oddly no mention of Lou Reed. Nothing makes sense, everything is subjective to the author, and the claim this book makes is that ‘Low ‘ and ‘Heroes’ and Berlin let him find his true self and he was never a personae again totally seems to forget that the eighties were the height of his popular personae. The sheer naïveté and hubris to write this comic actually would enrage me if I wasn’t so confused. The art is pretty dated caricature work too.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Icongraphics - David Bowie by Brian Freschi.

This graphic novel explores David Bowie's life during his time in Berlin. It focuses mainly on his time spent with Iggy, and subsequently their addiction struggles.

I would say this is a graphic novel for fans of Bowie that already know a lot about his life (not just his music), and it does not start at the beginning of his music career, and it does not end at the end of it either. This is set later down the line of Bowie's life, making you feel like you are dropped in the middle of someone's story. As a fan of Bowie, but not at knowledgeable on his personal life (and this being my first time reading a book specifically about Bowie), I felt like I needed a beginning and an end.

The artwork was lovely, and I enjoyed the part of the story we did get. A series of these that transcended through the years and stages of David Bowie's life would be excellent!

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was at its strongest when it was taking creative leaps, and I especially loved what it did with panels (and lack there of) and colours in places. Despite its title, I did like how it never really made Bowie into an icon on the page, and it was a look at him as a person in Berlin rather than as an international superstar. However, what got me about this book is that the tone was never really consistent. At times, even the artwork made Bowie out to be a cartoon villain, and I did find the characterization almost cruel at times. The frame narrative was also not my favourite, and I'm not sure why we needed the journalist's perspective, especially when the vast majority of the book was third-person.

Overall, I really liked the book when it was taking creative liberties, but I would have liked some more consistency in the art, tone, and characterization.

With love and thanks to Gemini Books Group for the ARC!

[Harkeerat Dhunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Bowie fan, I was excited to read this and at first it really worked for me. It opens by asking 'Who was David Bowie to David Bowie?' and those early pages feel personal and thoughtful. The art is pretty cool and fits the Berlin mood, and I liked how Iggy Pop and Brian Eno show up as actual characters and not just background names.

But the middle started feeling like bits of Wikipedia pasted into panels. It tells you facts about albums and songs instead of showing you Bowie's story, and it loses some of the emotional pull it had at the start. The ending picks up a little with Bowie talking about finding joy in simple things, but by then I felt a bit disconnected.
Rating: 3.5/5 – visually striking and worth checking out for fans, but the storytelling could flow better.

Thanks to Gemini Books Group and NetGallery for the ARC!

[Alexis Berman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for my Advanced Reader's Copy of this book.

I wanted to love this book. The art certainly evokes the glam rock and musical transformations that Bowie was known for, but the drawings often make him look more like Beavis (and sometimes even the Joker from Batman) than the rock god Bowie was. I wish there had been more material on who Bowie was, but the book synopsis clearly states that this is about the decade he made some of his more seminal records. I don't feel like this would be a good book to introduce someone to Bowie, but I believe die hard fans will appreciate the book. On a final note, I really don't like the font used. Everyone thinks that nontraditional books like graphic novels can use any font to show more personality, but the simple fact is some fonts should never be used.

[Margo Jacques · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long time David Bowie fan, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Much of what was covered I did know from watching various documentaries over the years. I do think that this is such a short glimpse into the life and career of such an iconic musician and artist that its title is quite misleading. Based on the title and cover I assumed it was a biography. This is not a story of David Bowie's life or his career but merely a snippet in the middle. This graphic novel is a love story to Berlin and Bowie's relationship with the city and what it did for him and Iggy Pop when they were struggling.

I did really enjoy the art and the consistency and dedication and making sure that David's eyes were two different colors. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to choose only a portion of Bowie's life and career to create a short story about, but overall this was pretty good.

[River riveeden Styx · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this as I don’t know a whole lot about David Bowie though I do enjoy his music. Focusing on a specific time along his creative journey seemed like an easy way to learn more about him.

While I enjoyed the art work, I had a hard time with the font frequently. It might have been easier if I were able to use the Kindle app instead of the NetGalley reader but I’m not sure. The flow of the graphic novel was difficult to read at times with time jumps that weren’t well marked.

I’m also now questioning the accuracy of a lot of this book as Bowie’s iconic eyes were not the correct colors throughout. It may seem like a minor detail but it is a well known, noticeable detail that skipping leads to suspicions of overall accuracy.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Lara A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I obtained this via Net Galley

Aside from the front cover, Bowie rarely looks like Bowie, which is a pretty big flaw for a graphic novel about David Bowie. That aside, the artwork, particularly the use of colour is eye-catching without being distracting.

Considering 80s Bowie post Lets Dance tends to be overlooked, it's good to read about the importance of his 1987 Berlin concert. In terms of audience, this is pretty much aimed at those who already think Bowie is the cat's pyjamas. Does it provide enough for them? Possibly. The spoken dialogue is somewhat leaden, but a graphic novel does provide an alternative perspective, almost a sense of being there, which may be of value. This graphic novel is one for completists as opposed to casual fans.

[Crimson Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this graphic novel

I was excited to read this and see where it was going to go, but sadly it didn't give much over about David Bowie & I was wanting to see this kind of explore more about him (since I have been a fan of his since the film Labyrinth where he played the goblin king, a role I think was made for him).

The art style was very pop art and I think that goes well with the style and how David Bowie was when Alive but I wanted more ... for anyone who doesn't know of David Bowie I can see this graphic novel being a gateway to learning some information on him but for me it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know and I wish the book was longer to tell more.

[Sadie-Jane Huff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 330 of 350 ~ 2025

🌟🌟🌟

I think my expectations were a tad high with this one.

Illustrations were good and I never knew iggy pop and Bowie were so tight.

Interesting concept but somehow, it just wasn't interesting.

I received a complimentary copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#book330of350 #amreading #netgalley tbrpile instareads readstagram reading bookreview bookreviewer booklover booksAreLife booksForTheWin booknerds thisbookfairyisreading bookstagram bookstagrammer bookstagramfeature bookshelf booksofinstagram bookish bookworm goodreads booklovers bookaddict theSGbookfairyReads theSGtrekkiereads bookaholic bookchallenge2025 reviews lovebooks

[Simi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting concept, where we live a perceived portion of the artist's life in the format of a graphic novel. Although familiar, I am not intimately acquainted with Bowie's music and career, and there were definitely snippets that I am sure a superfan would absolutely love. For me, it felt a bit tricky to follow the "plot" and overall the work felt quite speculative and a dash like fanfic. That said, the artwork was beautiful and clear, and the layout, design and colours of the book were amazing.

Thank you to Gemini Books Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Samantha Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited to dive into this. David Bowie is a music icon and is heavily influential in pop culture. I was looking forward to learning more about him through this graphic biography, unfortunately it did not hit the spot. It seems that rather than telling you about Bowie the reader is supposed to have a certain amount of knowledge already which is discouraging to those who may be looking for resources to learn about him. The narrative fell flat and it was a bit disjointed. The ebook format made it difficult to fully appreciate the book, it was words were small and it was hard on the eyes.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Crystal Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel creates a vivid portrait of a particular period in Bowie's career - after the rise of glam rock with Ziggy Stardust but before his re-emergence in the 1990s. Knowing little about this era, I was drawn into the narrative, but I found it disjointed. While this may be intentional to evoke Bowie's internal chaos, unfamiliar readers may find it a barrier to entry. That would be a shame, because the art in this volume is truly phenomenal.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

[Aga · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, you really need some prior knowledge of Bowie to fully appreciate this. The narrative felt a bit hectic and hard to follow at times (which could partly be due to the NetGalley reader format). While the concept is great, the execution didn’t quite land for me. My daughter, a big Bowie fan, couldn’t even finish it.

That said, it’s a nice addition for hardcore Bowie fans who enjoy exploring different artistic takes on his life.

📅 Release Date: 18/11/2025
🙏 Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!