When we talk about most underrated sleeves of all times, Me and the Devil's Blues
is in the lead.
Written and Illustrated by Akira hiramoto, call this manga simply flashy is limiting. It's about a manga exciting, moving and surprisingly mature compared to Hiramoto's better known work, Prison School.
The first introduction of this illustrated work was in the early 2000s and it still continues to thrill and enchant any reader who dares to pick it up.
Me and the Devil's Blues
, de Akira hiramoto. Source: Sabukaru-Online
Hiramoto picks up his pen to illustrate the fictional biography of the legendary musician Robert Johnson. Set in the late 20s in the South of the United States, the protagonist RJ was working on a plantation until he sat down at a crossroads at midnight with a guitar to make a deal with the devil.
Disguised as a creepy figure, the summoned demon tunes the guitar and plays some Johnson songs, so that in six months, RJ will become the musician of blues most talented and the father of Rock And Roll.
However, nothing good comes from giving the soul to Satan, so tragedies follow his fame; on the one hand, death takes his wife and newborn while additional fingers grow from his hand that, to his horror, are sporadically invisible.
The pitfalls of his life are intricately connected to his desire to change his life, which becomes really valuable work.
At the end of everything, Me and the Devil's Blues seems to tell the legend of Robert Leroy Johnson, who is said to have sold his soul to Satan to be the best blues player in the world, however, the above has not been proven, but it gives Hiramoto plenty of room for plot.
Highlights of this manga is that the story revolves around an African-American character, unlike most manga that rarely depict black characters.
Historically accurate as well, it depicts the lives of minorities during the Great Depression and the racially motivated violence prevalent a few decades ago.
Amusingly shaded and realistic, Hiramoto shows off his versatile hand and readers enjoy the impressive double pages.
Grim and gritty historical horror is not a common genre, so this manga it's hard to let go.