Spectrum

by Rick Quinn

Spectrum is a frenetic, genre bending, formally inventive story about the magic and power of music with words by Rick Quinn and visuals by Dave Chisholm (Chasin' the Bird, Miles Davis and The Search for the Sound). Melody Parker is losing her mind. She’s living on the streets of Seattle during the WTO protests of 1999. She is seeing things. Androids. Aliens. Pigs in high fashion. And a creature named Echo—one of the elemental beings with the power to alter reality through music. She invites Melody to join her as she brings about the end of the world. As Melody tries to escape this strange woman, suppressed memories from across vast spans of time flood into her awareness, bringing her very identity into question.

Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2025

Reviews

[Maykala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spectrum is comic that follows Melody Parker, a young girl living on the streets. Melody believes she hallucinates various beings, but when she saves Ada from these very same visions, the two must figure out why these beings are after them and how the pasts’ of these two girls are mixed up with everything.

This is a story about music and music history, which I loved. Both Melody and Ada are music lovers and have significant ties to music. As they travel through different timelines, readers see moments in music history that are highly inspired by real artists. The music lover in me appreciated how music was represented and explored through this story. I also really liked that Melody and Ada explored their pasts and got to a place of understanding as they traversed time and space.

I can say that this story can be a little hard to follow at times. While the story is mostly focused on Melody and Ada, different people and events are also thrown in here and there. I think every aspect of this story had its place, but it did feel a little jumpy and I did not always completely understand how everything was weaving together.

This is a very intricate story and it may benefit from a reread or two. If you are a music lover and are intrigued by a fantastical, complex story, I would recommend this.

*e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Blake Shafer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really imaginative art but disappointing writing. It was full of surface level references to real things in music culture that were inserted clumsily. An example is PCGB being a stand in for CBGB. Many of the references were not even incorporated into the narrative but instead just layered on as annotations. The story is very much a post sandman meta fiction story, but the characters are underdeveloped and their emotional hooks didn’t connect with me.

[DollarBin ComicWin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if music could literally change the world?
Spectrum takes you back to the chaos of the ’99 WTO protests and asks what happens when music can literally reshape reality. Bold art, sharp ideas, and a reminder of how creativity and unrest collide. Perfect for fans of The Sandman, Saga, or Phonogram.

[Karrie]

Print too small. Reorder when I get new contacts.

[Odo · Rating 2 out of 5]

3/10

[Luke Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great colors and style, dunno if I loved the story tho