Welcome to the latest edition of the Multiversity Manga Club! We at Multiversity Comics are huge fans of all kinds of comics, but our coverage admittedly skews toward American and European books. Nevertheless, manga, or Japanese comics, has a huge presence in the world of graphic story-telling, as anyone who has frequented a book store chain over the last decade can attest. I myself have only dabbled in the medium throughout the years, primarily through my love of “Dragon Ball Z.” With the hope of presenting a more concerted effort to highlight the fascinating world of manga, I’ll be selecting a specific work each month and inviting readers to join me in reading and examining the book.
In April I read through the first “volume” of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” entitled “Phantom Blood.” In this story we are introduced to the series totemic pillars of heroism and villainy; Jonathan Joestar, progenitor of the Joestar legacy, and the demonic Dio. I came to this book with a number of preconceived ideas regarding what I would find. While I was close on some counts, the story of Jonathan and his bizarre adventure goes leaps and bounds beyond my expectations. Whether that’s a good thing or not…well, you’ll have to read on, of course.
Written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki
The legendary Shonen Jump series, now available in English for the first time, in a deluxe edition featuring color pages and newly drawn cover art! JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a groundbreaking manga famous for its outlandish characters, wild humor and frenetic battles. A multigenerational tale of the heroic Joestar family and their never-ending battle against evil!
Young Jonathan Joestar’s life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!
So, long story, but the space between the introductory paragraph and the body of this review equates to about one week of real time. Sometimes real life comes knocking at inopportune times, delaying plans and Manga Club reviews. Everything’s good, for those concerned, or at least on the up and up. However, one thing that hasn’t improved with the time is my estimation of the first incarnation of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.”
Approaching something critically requires the elimination of bias, this isn’t revolutionary information. The bias referred to is usually that of the writer, but what of the bias brought on by others? How do you treat a piece of work that is already well respected, an acknowledged foundational stone of a given medium? Can anyone reasonably and reliably “rate” The Beatle’s White Album? Not that I’m comparing “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” to The Beatles. Or maybe I am? I’ve only ever heard great and important things about the series and I almost let that perceived reference get the best of me. Because, critically, “Phantom Blood” isn’t all that great.
I could not have been prepared for how bonkers this book is. In no way, whatsoever. “Phantom Blood” is 46 chapters of stream of consciousness, nonsense insanity. It’s the poster child for over the top. Every character is a caricature. The dialogue is, at times, so stilted that I expect it topple, yet it manages to maintain a tenuous balance between endearing and exasperating. And yet, the story feels like little more than a conglomeration of well-worn tropes. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table.
Again, this throws a wrench in things, because I’m approaching this book from a 2016 context. It doesn’t feel “fresh” because it isn’t. “Phantom Blood” is a 30 year old story. And yet, I’ve certainly read stories of that age or older that have stood the test of time. “Dragon Ball,” a contemporary to “JoJo,” still feels witty and unique. Ironically, it’s arguable that “JoJo” exhibits and exemplifies many of the Shonen tropes, the martial arts, mystical energies and grand posturing, that would go on to define “Dragon Ball” and countless other modern manga series.
While I can certainly respect it’s contributions, those aspects are overshadowed by wooden, one-dimensional characters. Jonathan Joestar is, at least once he’s fully grown to his impressive 195 cm, a Mary Sue. I don’t mean to toss that term around lightly, but I think it applies. Joestar is pure good, and is good at most everything he does. Anyone who called foul at Rey’s ability to use the force in “The Force Awakens” should take note of Jonathan’s prodigious ability to master Hamon energy.
Continued belowThe flip side of this coin, the equal but opposite, pure evil of our story is Dio. Dio as a villain is nearly as one-note and single minded as his counterpart, though he is considerably more intriguing. There’s a hint of enigmatic madness at the core of Dio’s character, the same that exists at the core of characters like the Joker. Dio is so twisted, so wrong, so frightening that he elicits a kind of morbid fascination. Even before he becomes a zombie producing vampiric fiend, Dio is just an evil, sociopathic dick. I’ll never understand him, and that, in way, makes him a compelling monster.
The supporting cast is, arguably, the strongest aspect of “Phantom Blood.” Bearing names like Robert E. O. Speedwagon and William Zeppeli (care to guess the namesakes?), these colorful side characters offer charm, comedic relief, and in the case of the Kenobi-esque Zeppeli, a delightful degree of stoic badassery.
It pains me to get this far into a conversation about comic without discussing the art. In truth, Araki’s artwork is the strongest aspect of “Phantom Blood.” The artist deftly crafts images of burly muscle men, grotesque monstrosities, and bristling action sequences. His ability to frame a sequence is impeccable, as is his sense of motion. The fight sequences contained within these pages rival the best of any martial arts-centric manga I’ve come across. Even more impressive is the incredible level of detail on display, both in the character’s designs and their surroundings. Even when the book lost my interest from a story perspective, the artwork remained a constant delight.
Maybe I’m missing something. If so, I’d love to hear from you, yes you fearless reader! I’m currently in the sound chamber of my own mind and there’s only one voice reverberating through the halls. I’ll concede the fact that “Phantom Blood” certainly grabbed me at first. The early chapters, in which a young Dio maniacally bullies and torments Jonathan, were fairly engaging. I felt anguish over the terrible deeds that Dio committed, the cruel torture he meted out to Jonathan. I also relished in the conflict when Jonathan finally managed to get the leg up on Dio. However, I felt the story lost much of that emotion when time jumps forward, taking on a larger scope and a supernatural tone.
It’s unlikely that this is the last time Manga Club takes a look at JoJo. Though “Phantom Blood” was met with lukewarm reception, there’s definitely enough interest garnered to check out “Battle Tendency,” and I feel that I won’t have really given the series a fair shake until getting to “Stardust Crusaders.” Until that point, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and hope you continuing reading along with the Multiversity Manga Club!
