The Original Johnson

The Original Johnson #1

by Trevor Von Eeden

At last -- The Original Johnson, Trevor Von Eeden's personal and heartfelt graphic novel biography of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champion of the world, international celebrity, and the most controversial American of his time. This is the artistic achievement of Trevor's career (Batman, Black Canary, Black Lightning, Green Arrow), more than four years in the making and worth every moment.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Trevor Von Eeden is a Guyanese-American comics artist, actor and writer known for his work on such titles as Black Lightning, Batman, Green Arrow, Power Man and Iron Fist, and the biographical series The Original Johnson.
(source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Jemir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sort of 'Classics Illustrated" meets a modern day illustrated bio approach this book (the first of a two volume series) fouses on the early life and emerging boxing career of legendary heavyweight champion Jack Johnson. Having read several biographies (along with a well done documentary and the "inspired by Johnson's life" film Great White Hype with James Earl Jones) I have a passing knowledge of what consistently can be attributed to fact and what can be considered "detailed rumor". So beyond the solid writing (that tends to read a bit too dense in some spots) I was impressed with the attention to historical accuracy and detail. I was even more impressed with the sharp, biting, art of comic book legend Trevor Von Eden that jumped off the page and looked chiseled rather than drawn on some pages. There does seem to be a bit of filler here as far as narrative goes (but that may not be the case as there may be a payoff in the second volume - which I have yet to read- with some of the threads) but the first volume is a gripping story that's a pleasure to look at.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1 of a 2 part series. The art is very good. The historical re-telling of the first black heavyweight boxer is a very good idea. The execution, however, falls short of excellent. This is hard to say, because I usually love everything Trevor Von Eeden does.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved! An amazing well thought out and executed labor of love. A worthy edition to the black lexicon. I'm waiting for volume 2 in the mail as I write :).