Altamont
The year is 1969 and Jenny, Doc, Schizo, Leonard, and Sam are heading to Northern California in Jen’s old Volkswagen van for a concert. It’s a long drive so they’ve got plenty of time to talk about the important things like music, past good times in the van, and whether or not Schizo can open his mouth without sounding like a dumbass. They’ve also got plenty of time to see the sights, get hassled by locals, meet up with some family, and maybe get stopped by a cop along the way. That concert they’re heading to? That’s at the Altamont Speedway and the Rolling Stones are headlining a festival that’s set to attract hundreds of thousands of fans. It may sound like a lot, but the Hell’s Angels have been contracted for security, and who’s going to want to mess with them?
If you’re familiar with this piece of counterculture and rock and roll history, it might surprise you to learn that for the majority of its narrative “Altamont” is a laid-back, good-times hangout read of a graphic novel. Our five-person ensemble may come off as a bit archetypal, but they’re all fun to be around and hear them talk about and deal with life as it comes to them. That’s also due to some fantastic art from Charlie Adlard whose chunky style really brings the era to life and captures its good vibes. He’s also great at having his characters emote in ways that feel completely natural and effortlessly draw you into their lives.
Right up until the end, anyway. Writere Henrik Hanna deserves a lot of credit for making these characters and their journey as engaging as it is (along with the quality translation work from Alice Ray and Joe Casey) he deserves all the blame for the direction the story takes in its final scene. You get the feeling that he’s trying to make a larger point about the end of the Flower Power era at Altamont, but it winds up feeling like a half-baked revenge thriller twist instead. It’s very much at odds with what the graphic novel has delivered up to that point, but not enough to squash all of your enjoyment out of it.