me and the devil blues

I recently read Akira Hiramoto’s Me and the Devil Blues: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson, Book One and have now moved on to book two. Although this is a Japanese graphic novel, it is not drawn in what I would refer to as the “typical manga style” which I’ve always found kind of childish and not very compelling. As befits the subject matter, the artwork here is very nuanced and stands up against the finest American works in this medium.

As the title suggests, this is a re-imagining of the life of seminal Delta bluesman Johnson. For example, after Johnson makes his deal with the devil, he acquires 10 fingers on his right hand which helps explain how he plays so well! Also, Johnson hooks up with Clyde Barrow (of Bonnie and Clyde fame). This is outstanding stuff, well worth checking out.