Legend of the Mind comes from yet another request by independent artists. This time around, it revolves around the surreal work of Philip K. Dick and channeling that into music. Normally I don’t go into art books, so we’ll be focusing on the comic inside. This book plays like a music album not just with its imagery but its musical ties. Jeffrey Hopp of MARS Studio designs this by combining everything from his art and music career. And it’s all to tribute the man who gave us Blade Runner.
Legend of the Mind: A Phildickian Trip
Going into Legend of the Mind, the reader will see that this is not the POV character living the life of Dick’s characters. Rather Jeff Hopp presents his character David at the mercy of an identity crisis. In just the first chapter, it’s up to the reader to tell if David is hallucinating from heroin or he’s being used. It’s this thin slope between reality and unreality that allows the reader to connect with David. Like him, the reader constantly questions what’s real and what’s not in the chapters.
At certain points it looks like David is being exploited by figures like a Palmer Eldritch-type villain for music. Only for next chapter to suggest this is just a delusion of his own making like Total Recall. The problems continue as further chapters have David in new scenarios, like he’s bouncing around multiple realities. Being the unreliable narrator that he is, David can never seem to commit to one scenario. That is until David encounters a stranger who shares his views completely where they take complete control of the narrative.
The Jungian Construct
Before we go any further, we should probably go into the art of Legend of the Mind. Hopp’s art has a very surreal quality to it thanks in no small part to his work on album covers. You might be familiar with Storm Thorgerson’s covers for Pink Floyd, now imagine all of that in illustration form. In story, everything looks simple enough at first until everything becomes more intricate. David lying on his bed with a heroin needle quickly turns into an escort to a concert of his adoring fans. At least until it comes back to his room worse than before.
To a certain degree these all represent different Jungian archetypes that inspired Dick. Take for example, David’s doodling notes about how symbols can be used to oppress people. This is called Individuation, a process where acquiring the archetypes from a collective unconscious builds personas. With David’s antagonists representing an oppressive status quo trying to force him to conform, he fails to realize his real name. So when David encounters a writer who doesn’t conform both he and “Horselover Fat” reveal their true names. No spoilers but it does go full circle.
What Does Music Have To Do With This?
Aside from Hopp being a musician who designs album covers like the Jungian Great Mother, this book plays out like a music album. Most mainstream songs get repetitive or at least circle around and they tend to be the most popular, think Bon Jovi’s Have A Nice Day. With the first chapter playing out and expositing how producers exploit album songs for attention, it might compel people to read on further. Of course, when I first saw the initial chapter, I thought it was just a simple story. But then different chapters come up for a bigger narrative, think Brittany Spears’ Stronger for song continuity. It certainly makes for a longer read and tells a personal story people might relate to.
Does Legend of the Mind Suit Your Tastes?
Legend of the Mind is an artistic comic for the fans of Philip K. Dick and for the musically inclined. For the casual reader, the plot will get confusing and might require a few rereads to fully appreciate. The art will certainly get a little weird for some people’s tastes, but no one ever says the mind is simple. Overall this art book gets an 8/10 for its on point story but takes some familiarity to fully appreciate.