Review: James Brown Black and Proud

If you“re a fan of James Brown; if you have experienced his groundbreaking catalogue, watched the biopic or any of the documentaries; even if you have studied “The One: The Life and Music of James Brown”“ by RJ Smith; you will still be amazed by what Xavier Fauthoux accomplishes in IDW“s “James Brown Black and Proud.”“ The beloved form of comics is always overshadowed and at times over determined by superhero content. We love the mythology of superheroes and know that comics could not dominate popular culture without super heroic content. But this fact should never preclude comic book readers from appreciating the reality that this form is capable of telling all kinds of stories. The versatility of the form is on full display in Fauthoux“s clear, concise, and deliberate retelling (and visual realization of) James Brown“s life story.

Fathoux begins at the end of JB“s life, but quickly flashes back to the beginning. Through a combination of omniscient narration and a reflective variation of James Brown“s voice, Fathoux makes plain the humble and violent beginnings of JB“s life in the deep dark south. These humble beginnings trace JB“s self-constructed mythology from being stillborn to surviving a brutal electrocution. In short Fathoux renders the heroic nature of James Brown“s emergence as a singular force in America“s cultural and artistic histories. Brown believed in his own immortality and this Bio-graphic novel is as important a contribution to James Brown“s timelessness as anything else that has been written about him.

At times the translation (from French to English), astutely expressed by Jeremy Melloul and Edward Gauvin, does reflect some of the natural limitations of linguistic processes ”“ especially given the multiple narrative voices that have their say in this work. But James Brown Black and Proud ”“ Black and Proud James Brown in its original language ”“ still reads (and can be seen) as a text that is as ebullient as a classic JB tune. Think: “Funky President”“ or “Funky Drummer”“ in graphic novel form ”“ always on the one, percussive, beautiful, bouncy, and dramatic, with just enough repetition to make the narrative absolutely irresistible.

Graphic novels do not have scores ”“ not even Bio-graphic novels, but James Brown Black and Proud certainly points to a playlist of JB“s greatest and most impactful hits. Knowing what songs to listen to is certainly useful but, of course, knowing does not replace the experience of hearing JB“s immortal soulfulness, articulated in auditory form. No visual, no text, nor any combination of these can replace or displace the listening, the hearing or the transcendent feeling of percussive music committed to the one. But James Brown Black and Proud is surely the very next best thing. 5/5!

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

James Brown: Black and Proud
Xavier Fauthoux (w & a & c)