Weird Amerimanga Of The Day: Dynamo Joe
American comics done in manga style is an older concept than you’d think. The grandaddy of the idea was Ben Dunn’s Ninja High School, which parodied anime tropes before many people even knew they existed. Others came after, like Fred Perry’s Gold Digger, but one of my favorites of the time was First Comics’s Dynamo Joe, done by Doug Rice. I believe it’s the earliest Amerimanga based on an original concept out there, predating NHS by a year and debuting in 1986(!) as part of First’s Mars comic book series. What’s unusual about it is that both the art and the story are well done, being original even while acknowledging a heavy Gundam influence.
The story is the usual “mindless alien invaders against human-piloted mecha” tale, but again, this comic started almost twenty years ago. Elf-like Imperium pilot Elanian and cat-like Tavitan Pomru are the crew of one mecha under the human forces, called Dynamo Joe. They fight their own side as much as the invading Mellenareans, and it’s always a toss-up whether or not they’ll survive till their next mission. The art style is surprisingly well done, and is a nice blend of western and manga influences. Sadly Doug Rice seems to have faded into obscurity; apart from a stint on DC’s Manhunter comic book, I haven’t seen much of him.
It’s a pity, because DJ is really well done for its kind. First Comics as a publisher put out a lot of quality comics, like Mike Sable, Badger, American Flagg, and Grim Jack. Dynamo Joe had the same level of quality, and managed to be a successful Amerimanga before the concept even existed. Before most of us even heard about Gundam, we read Dynamo Joe. People like Doug Rice or Ben Dunn art part of the reason anime took off in the west; they introduced us to tropes and concepts we didn’t know existed, and primed the pump for the anime book in the 90′s.
Unfortunately DJ is long out of print. You can probably track down back issues over the net, and they shouldn’t cost much. But the series has quietly vanished from the public’s eye. Technically this isn’t a “weird” manga, because it’s well done and surprisingly up-to-date, but it’s a historical oddity given the time it debuted. Back then you either had comic book companies adapting manga into the comic book format, or you had westerners drawing tales based on anime series, like Comico did with Robotech. This is one of the first comics to blend both, and if you’re into Amerimanga, this is a decent curiosity to own.
