I finally got my hands on the first volume of Rob Vollmar and Pablo Callejo's Bluesman several weeks after the publication of the second thanks to Diamond's warehouse apparently being staffed exclusively by one-armed dyslexic squirrel monkeys and having finally gotten a chance to read the damned things, I gotta say: this is the premium sort of comics experience that I seek out, much like a truffle-hunting pig in the Gallic forests. The plot for this graphic novel series is straightforward enough: itinerant blues player Lem Taylor and his partner Ironwood Malcott travel from juke joint to juke joint throughout the rural south, barely surviving until they happen to visit the right place at the right time and have the opportunity of a lifetime drop into their laps.
However, much like the lyrics of music that fills and informs this comic, bad, bad things happen and Lem soon finds himself on the run from not only the law, but the deep-seated prejudices that twisted it (and still does in many places) into a mockery of justice. Vollmar's to be praised here for a number of things. First, he builds the world fluidly, without ever giving too much exposition away and even his use of academic captions in the second chapter of Volume One is perfect in a way very few writers - Alan Moore being the one that comes to mind - can approach. Secondly, I instantly found myself immersed in the story (separate from the plot) because every character in the story feels worthy a reader's investment within a few moments. His dialogue captures the Southern vernacular for both white and black people without descending into the sort of parody that so many turn it into. Everything in Vollmar's script is nailed down perfectly and his execution lacks not one bit in my opinion.
Not to be outdone by the script, Pablo Callejo draws the living hell out of the entire affair. His rich style reminds me of a fusion between R. Crumb's cartoonish style and the harsh woodcut-influenced work of someone like David B. While many artists only know how to draw three black men (the bald guy, the guy with hair, and Michael Clarke Duncan) and two black women (the sassy fat mama and the hot juke joint jezebel), Callejo's gift for deceptively simple faces and expressions populates this book's world completely.
The cliffhanger that ends the second book has me impatient for a third volume, which is already he works. If, for some stupid reason, Bluesman (when completed) doesn't put these two on many people's radar, then it should certainly be referenced in a few years as a watershed moment for these two men's careers. If you're a fan of works like Kings In Disguise and Steve Lafler's BugHouse books, then this is an essential addition to your library.
You can find out more about Bluesman by visiting The Bluesman Project website and even get your own from the publisher�s site.
However, much like the lyrics of music that fills and informs this comic, bad, bad things happen and Lem soon finds himself on the run from not only the law, but the deep-seated prejudices that twisted it (and still does in many places) into a mockery of justice. Vollmar's to be praised here for a number of things. First, he builds the world fluidly, without ever giving too much exposition away and even his use of academic captions in the second chapter of Volume One is perfect in a way very few writers - Alan Moore being the one that comes to mind - can approach. Secondly, I instantly found myself immersed in the story (separate from the plot) because every character in the story feels worthy a reader's investment within a few moments. His dialogue captures the Southern vernacular for both white and black people without descending into the sort of parody that so many turn it into. Everything in Vollmar's script is nailed down perfectly and his execution lacks not one bit in my opinion.
Not to be outdone by the script, Pablo Callejo draws the living hell out of the entire affair. His rich style reminds me of a fusion between R. Crumb's cartoonish style and the harsh woodcut-influenced work of someone like David B. While many artists only know how to draw three black men (the bald guy, the guy with hair, and Michael Clarke Duncan) and two black women (the sassy fat mama and the hot juke joint jezebel), Callejo's gift for deceptively simple faces and expressions populates this book's world completely. The cliffhanger that ends the second book has me impatient for a third volume, which is already he works. If, for some stupid reason, Bluesman (when completed) doesn't put these two on many people's radar, then it should certainly be referenced in a few years as a watershed moment for these two men's careers. If you're a fan of works like Kings In Disguise and Steve Lafler's BugHouse books, then this is an essential addition to your library.
You can find out more about Bluesman by visiting The Bluesman Project website and even get your own from the publisher�s site.
