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Love in Vain: Robert Johnson 1911-1938
From 'Crossroads Blues' to 'Sweet Home Chicago', 'Hellhound on My Trail' to 'Come On In My Kitchen', Robert Johnson wrote some of the most enduring and formative songs of the original blues era, songs that would go on to help shape the birth of rock'n'roll in the 1960s. Beloved of Clapton, Dylan and the Stones, Robert Johnson remains one of the most iconic and mythologised figures in popular music (and the first of many to die at the age of 27).
Exploring the stories and legends that surround his life and death - his childhood, his womanising, his pact with the devil at the crossroads - Mezzo and DuPont have produced a fittingly creative and beautiful depiction of this most extraordinary life.
Exploring the stories and legends that surround his life and death - his childhood, his womanising, his pact with the devil at the crossroads - Mezzo and DuPont have produced a fittingly creative and beautiful depiction of this most extraordinary life.
72 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2014
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244 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
March 22, 2017
Start by listening to some of this as you read and tell me you won't spend time reading this book and listening to blues as I did, all through it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd60n...
Now, are you comfortable? Next step is to just look at some of the artwork by Mezzo that you find on every page of this biography of the American Blues artist Robert Johnson by J. M. Dupont:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Rober...
The book is short, more poetic and evocative than it is a biographical narrative, choosing to focus on images of him driven by his love of women and whiskey, and especially, music. He's the guy who sold his soul to the devil to become maybe the greatest blues guitarist of all time.
This is a pretty great book, drawn in the manner of black and white woodcut prints from a century ago. Gotta read it. Here, sorry, you wanted to hear more of his music and have me shut up, didn't you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07T3h...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd60n...
Now, are you comfortable? Next step is to just look at some of the artwork by Mezzo that you find on every page of this biography of the American Blues artist Robert Johnson by J. M. Dupont:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Rober...
The book is short, more poetic and evocative than it is a biographical narrative, choosing to focus on images of him driven by his love of women and whiskey, and especially, music. He's the guy who sold his soul to the devil to become maybe the greatest blues guitarist of all time.
This is a pretty great book, drawn in the manner of black and white woodcut prints from a century ago. Gotta read it. Here, sorry, you wanted to hear more of his music and have me shut up, didn't you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07T3h...
January 20, 2019
Love in Vain is a beautifully executed biographical graphic novel that you must have on your TBR list. It recounts the tragic life story of bluesman Robert Johnson. He sadly is the beginning of the 27 club, musicians that died at the age of 27, like Jimmy Hendricks, Jim Morrison, etc. We learn of Johnson's humble beginnings and his many attempts to sing and play the guitar. He was very tenacious and he improved with the help of other well-known bluesman of that time. I can't not speak about this graphic novel without mentioning the splendid artwork. Drawn and colored entirely in black ink, you are not likely to forget his story. The drawings perfectly depict juke joints and black people during the thirties. Check out my video review where you can get a sneak peak inside the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IAqM...
June 23, 2020
The artwork by Mezzo is gorgeous and frameable. The text by J.M. Dupont is embarrassing at best (I suspect the translation doesn’t do it any favors), and at worst leering and lascivious in a borderline racist way. I suppose that’s to be expected when a white Frenchman tries to write a rhyming(?) biography of a Black Delta bluesman from the POV of .
I learned a few new biographical details about Robert Johnson, at least. And again, that art.
March 27, 2018
After reading the fantastic White Tears by Hari Kunzru I went into a sort of Delta blues soundcloud and started listening to all sorts of haunting tracks from the 1930s. At about the same time I spied this graphic novel in a bookshop and it just seemed to be calling me. The story of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson's short life illustrated in beautiful woodcut graphic style by French graphic artist Mezzo.
It's just such a beautiful book to look at, I am a big fan of woodcuts and this book has some splendid examples of that style. The accompanying text gives a passable account of Robert's life (from what is known) however I suspect some nuance might have been lost in the translation from French as the text was a little awkward at times especially when it tried to clumsily rhyme. Also, I am not sure why we needed the final panel about the Hells Angels and the Rolling Stones at Altamont in 1969.
However, it's a lovely book and I appreciated that it included the lyrics to several of Johnsons songs. The experience of reading this is definitely enhanced by listening to the recordings.
It's just such a beautiful book to look at, I am a big fan of woodcuts and this book has some splendid examples of that style. The accompanying text gives a passable account of Robert's life (from what is known) however I suspect some nuance might have been lost in the translation from French as the text was a little awkward at times especially when it tried to clumsily rhyme. Also, I am not sure why we needed the final panel about the Hells Angels and the Rolling Stones at Altamont in 1969.
However, it's a lovely book and I appreciated that it included the lyrics to several of Johnsons songs. The experience of reading this is definitely enhanced by listening to the recordings.
October 13, 2017
Again, a biographical graphic novel. Why this got five stars is that I loved the twist in the tale concerning the narrator's voice. And also the drawings are amazing: they are very dark and almost look like woodcut prints which give them a kind of physical texture and aspect.
September 10, 2025
Jos teet sopimuksen pirun kanssa, pidä suusi.
Jean-Michel Dupontin käsikirjoittama ja Mezzon harvinaisen upeasti kuvittama "Love in Vain" (Like, 2015) on erinomainen sarjakuvaromaani legendaarisesta bluesmuusikosta Robert Johnsonista (1911-1938). Nuorena kuolleen ja vain kolmisenkymmentä laulua levyttäneen muusikon huhuttiin myyneen sielunsa paholaiselle vastineeksi liki ylimaallisesta kyvystä soittaa kitaraa. Pitäneekö tuo paikkaansa? Ehkäpä tarinan salaperäisellä kertojahahmolta löytyy vastaus tähän.
Sarjakuvan tekijät eivät sinänsä tuo mitään uutta tai erikoislaatuista Robert Johnsonista kerrottuun myyttiseen tarinaan, mutta suoriutuvat hommastaan sen verran hyvin, että neljä tähteä on selviö. Jos pidit tästä, niin tsekkaapa myös Peter Guralnickin pienoiselämäkerta Robert Johnson: Blueslegendan jäljillä tai Akira Hiramoton sarjakuva Me and the Devil Blues: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson, Volume 1.
Jean-Michel Dupontin käsikirjoittama ja Mezzon harvinaisen upeasti kuvittama "Love in Vain" (Like, 2015) on erinomainen sarjakuvaromaani legendaarisesta bluesmuusikosta Robert Johnsonista (1911-1938). Nuorena kuolleen ja vain kolmisenkymmentä laulua levyttäneen muusikon huhuttiin myyneen sielunsa paholaiselle vastineeksi liki ylimaallisesta kyvystä soittaa kitaraa. Pitäneekö tuo paikkaansa? Ehkäpä tarinan salaperäisellä kertojahahmolta löytyy vastaus tähän.
Sarjakuvan tekijät eivät sinänsä tuo mitään uutta tai erikoislaatuista Robert Johnsonista kerrottuun myyttiseen tarinaan, mutta suoriutuvat hommastaan sen verran hyvin, että neljä tähteä on selviö. Jos pidit tästä, niin tsekkaapa myös Peter Guralnickin pienoiselämäkerta Robert Johnson: Blueslegendan jäljillä tai Akira Hiramoton sarjakuva Me and the Devil Blues: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson, Volume 1.
November 9, 2019
Siyahların dünyası beyazlara emanet. Mezzo'nun zanaati hayranlık uyandırıyor, çizimler bir adım öne çıkıyor. Dönem ruhunu, adeta James Baldwin'in kaleminden çıkmışçasına resmediyor. Uyumsuzları uygunlaştırmadan, Beale Street'i de anmadan geçmeyen eser için Lawrence Cohn'un kitabın başındaki yorumuna gelince, grafik romanların önem ve değeri hususunda kendisinin Cemal Süreya'dan ders alması gerektiğini söylemek gerekiyor. "Bu kitap basit bir grafik roman olmayı aşıyor" da ne demek!"
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June 19, 2024Haastava arvioitava, joten jätän tähdet välistä. Piirrostyyli on komeaa ja tarinakin mielenkiintoinen, mutta sopii ehkä paremmin heille, joilla on jo ennakkotietoa Robert Johnsonista ja elämänvaiheistaan. Kerrontatyylin koin haastavaksi, ja tuntui etten ponnistelematta pysynyt ihan kyydissä, vaikka eteninkin hitaasti ruutu ruudulta. Mutta jo komean piirrosjäljen vuoksi kannattaa kurkata, varsinkin jos bluesin historia kiinnostaa rahtusenkaan vertaa.
August 8, 2015
Duivels goed verteld, getekend en uitgegeven. Een indrukwekkende prestatie op alle vlakken, alsof Satan zelve er bij betrokken was. Heet aanbevolen !
Recensie van Cutting Edge : http://www.cuttingedge.be/boekenstrip...
Interview door De Stripspeciaalzaak : http://www.stripspeciaalzaak.be/Inter...
Recensie van Cutting Edge : http://www.cuttingedge.be/boekenstrip...
Interview door De Stripspeciaalzaak : http://www.stripspeciaalzaak.be/Inter...
November 12, 2016
Weird occasionally rhyming text but absolutely beautiful graphics. And a really useful Line through Johnson's convoluted and disputable biography. I really liked this.
February 1, 2017
The illustrations make this book. A creative way to tell the legendary story of the life of Robert Johnson.
July 1, 2020
> Robert Johnson 1911 - 1938
En lisant ce sous-titre, j’ai tout de suite fait le calcul: 27 ans. Robert Johnson est le premier membre du club des 27 qui a pourtant vu le jour longtemps après sa mort, lors des décès rapprochés de Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin et Jim Morrison entre les années 1969 et 1970. Amy Winehouse est la dernière à avoir rejoint, en 2011, ce triste club.
Il était musicien de blues et jouait de l’harmonica. Pour la guitare, ce fut plus difficile. Puis un jour, il se mit à jouer divinement – ou plutôt diablement – bien.
> On dit que le pacte s’était conclu un soir d’errance sur une route du Mississippi […] Réveillé par une brise glacée, il avait vu le diable accorder sa guitare, puis en jouer divinement … Enfin, si l’on peut dire.
Robert Johnson a brulé sa vie, il faut dire à sa décharge que tout n’avait pas très bien commencé. La musique fut une révélation et une passion précoce, mais les femmes et l’alcool auront eu raison de lui.
Sur la forme, au départ, rien de très original, la vie du musicien est racontée de façon chronologique par un narrateur. Puis au fil des pages, on commence à trouver ce narrateur étrange. Il commente, il donne son avis – en fait c’est depuis le début, mais j’ai mis un certain temps à m’en rendre compte – et il n’a pas sa langue dans la poche – c’est le moins que l’on puisse dire. Puis on finit par vraiment se demander qui est ce type, par être obsédé par son identité.
Les BD, et en particulier les one shots, sont éditées avec soin et c’est le cas de celle-ci. C’est un très beau format à l’italienne rehaussé d’un dos toilé rouge qui a été choisi par les éditions Glénat. Un écrin noir pour des dessins qui le sont tout autant. Un trait généreux, des cases remplies à ras bord qui donnent envie de s’attarder, de comprendre, d’en étudier la composition.
Après avoir lu cet album, passez-vous un disque de Robert Johnson. Entendre sa voix venue d’outre-tombe vous donnera des frissons.
Également publié sur mon blog.
En lisant ce sous-titre, j’ai tout de suite fait le calcul: 27 ans. Robert Johnson est le premier membre du club des 27 qui a pourtant vu le jour longtemps après sa mort, lors des décès rapprochés de Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin et Jim Morrison entre les années 1969 et 1970. Amy Winehouse est la dernière à avoir rejoint, en 2011, ce triste club.
Il était musicien de blues et jouait de l’harmonica. Pour la guitare, ce fut plus difficile. Puis un jour, il se mit à jouer divinement – ou plutôt diablement – bien.
> On dit que le pacte s’était conclu un soir d’errance sur une route du Mississippi […] Réveillé par une brise glacée, il avait vu le diable accorder sa guitare, puis en jouer divinement … Enfin, si l’on peut dire.
Robert Johnson a brulé sa vie, il faut dire à sa décharge que tout n’avait pas très bien commencé. La musique fut une révélation et une passion précoce, mais les femmes et l’alcool auront eu raison de lui.
Sur la forme, au départ, rien de très original, la vie du musicien est racontée de façon chronologique par un narrateur. Puis au fil des pages, on commence à trouver ce narrateur étrange. Il commente, il donne son avis – en fait c’est depuis le début, mais j’ai mis un certain temps à m’en rendre compte – et il n’a pas sa langue dans la poche – c’est le moins que l’on puisse dire. Puis on finit par vraiment se demander qui est ce type, par être obsédé par son identité.
Les BD, et en particulier les one shots, sont éditées avec soin et c’est le cas de celle-ci. C’est un très beau format à l’italienne rehaussé d’un dos toilé rouge qui a été choisi par les éditions Glénat. Un écrin noir pour des dessins qui le sont tout autant. Un trait généreux, des cases remplies à ras bord qui donnent envie de s’attarder, de comprendre, d’en étudier la composition.
Après avoir lu cet album, passez-vous un disque de Robert Johnson. Entendre sa voix venue d’outre-tombe vous donnera des frissons.
Également publié sur mon blog.
November 11, 2018
Rather exceptional, especially in the art work, telling of Johnson's story. FAR better than many of the bog standard music / comic biogs.
November 4, 2017
Dupont and Mezzo may have hit on the best way to tell Robert Johnson’s story. Part of what makes him “Robert Johnson” is the vague boundaries that drift around the facts of his life. I’d even be a bit disappointed to find that somewhere, somehow there were a definitive factual biography. The facts would be untrue to the Robert Johnson we conjure in talking about the history of the blues.
The book is as much visual art as textual story, as a graphic treatment should be. The story is told in words against a visual background that lends the words a kind of just-right slipperiness they wouldn’t have on their own. The art work is striking, heavy black and white. The depiction of Johnson’s pinstripe suit jumps out of the pages, contributing to that not quite real effect.
Dupont, the author of the text, wrote the story around the pivot of religion, Johnson’s mythological choice to ally with the devil. But he doesn’t just treat it, like I’ve seen elsewhere, as a personal bargain with the devil for supernatural guitar skills. It’s a framework for the whole story — Johnson’s divorce from the church-infused side of the blues and of black culture during his time. He plays on the other side, in the other places, and hangs out with the other people. It’s where his music flourishes, and it’s where he meets his quick ending. And again, you see it in the artwork behind the story as it’s told.
It might only take a half hour to read the book — it goes by quickly, kind of like Johnson’s life. But the art is so good, and the text so haunting that I know I’ll dip back into it now and then just for a quick hit.
Lyrics for Johnson’s better known songs are included at the back of the book, along with an illustration for each. The illustrations are, like all the illustrations in the book, not literal. They evoke the mood of the songs. Really good.
The book is as much visual art as textual story, as a graphic treatment should be. The story is told in words against a visual background that lends the words a kind of just-right slipperiness they wouldn’t have on their own. The art work is striking, heavy black and white. The depiction of Johnson’s pinstripe suit jumps out of the pages, contributing to that not quite real effect.
Dupont, the author of the text, wrote the story around the pivot of religion, Johnson’s mythological choice to ally with the devil. But he doesn’t just treat it, like I’ve seen elsewhere, as a personal bargain with the devil for supernatural guitar skills. It’s a framework for the whole story — Johnson’s divorce from the church-infused side of the blues and of black culture during his time. He plays on the other side, in the other places, and hangs out with the other people. It’s where his music flourishes, and it’s where he meets his quick ending. And again, you see it in the artwork behind the story as it’s told.
It might only take a half hour to read the book — it goes by quickly, kind of like Johnson’s life. But the art is so good, and the text so haunting that I know I’ll dip back into it now and then just for a quick hit.
Lyrics for Johnson’s better known songs are included at the back of the book, along with an illustration for each. The illustrations are, like all the illustrations in the book, not literal. They evoke the mood of the songs. Really good.
August 2, 2020
UK translated = 2014 = £20.00
The art is utterly fascinating
The horizontal/panorama presentation wraps you in deep darkness to savor the glow of such exclusive illumination- the attention to and exposition of detail is sometimes shocking.
There must have been intimately dedicated photo-study at play here with such meticulous rendering perfections filling every panel out completely with unsparingly lavished ink while including detail down to minute background signage.
Then there's the superimpositioning that bullseyes your eyes from target-to-target throughout the panels like the most beautiful shooting gallery I've ever seen!
The story is also a definitive *****: Gripping Gasping Woeful Tantalizing and Spiritual.
To my tastes, the only scuff on this gem is the narration style which has an annoying cheekiness to it. The writer didn't need the "character" narrator angle taken which often distracts or detracts from the story.
The art is utterly fascinating
The horizontal/panorama presentation wraps you in deep darkness to savor the glow of such exclusive illumination- the attention to and exposition of detail is sometimes shocking.
There must have been intimately dedicated photo-study at play here with such meticulous rendering perfections filling every panel out completely with unsparingly lavished ink while including detail down to minute background signage.
Then there's the superimpositioning that bullseyes your eyes from target-to-target throughout the panels like the most beautiful shooting gallery I've ever seen!
The story is also a definitive *****: Gripping Gasping Woeful Tantalizing and Spiritual.
To my tastes, the only scuff on this gem is the narration style which has an annoying cheekiness to it. The writer didn't need the "character" narrator angle taken which often distracts or detracts from the story.
March 26, 2022
One of the most gorgeous comics I’ve ever picked up. If you’re a fan of old blues folklore, music, or black and white comics, this is the one for you.
It’s a quick read, but the storytelling is fantastic. Not your average bio comic.
Even though I read it pretty quick, I found myself flipping back through the book over and over again, pouring over the meticulously drawn black and white pages. Every single panel is a masterpiece and there are so many new things to find in each panel. This isn’t just a comic, it’s an art book that you can place on your coffee table for others to ponder and admire.
It’s a quick read, but the storytelling is fantastic. Not your average bio comic.
Even though I read it pretty quick, I found myself flipping back through the book over and over again, pouring over the meticulously drawn black and white pages. Every single panel is a masterpiece and there are so many new things to find in each panel. This isn’t just a comic, it’s an art book that you can place on your coffee table for others to ponder and admire.
February 11, 2021
The artwork here is incredible - stark, black-and-white drawings that could be framed woodcuts on a museum wall. The storytelling is interesting - the devil poetically recounts the life of Robert Johnson, that famed bluesman who sold his soul at the crossroads. I was less enamored with the level of detail used by the author in relaying Johnson's biography. Endless pages of "Johnson went here, banged a woman, played a song." I mean, sure, maybe that was his actual life, but you could spice it up a little with some creative non-fiction.
February 8, 2020
This is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. Each panel is like a little work of art. We learn or are reminded that the 30s was a pretty wild time and pretty rough. We generally think of sex drugs and rock n roll starting in the 60s with hints in the 50s, but Johnson and his peers were singing about sex, drugs and violence in the 30s and bawdy music has been around for ages but it's not revered, it's not high culture. Just like when people reject comics as low culture, when people disregard the blues, they miss out on the profound emotion and art within
February 3, 2015
Alors que les dessins sont magnifiques (j'en imprimerais plusieurs pour les afficher sur mon mur), le texte n'est qu'ordinaire. Je sais que la bio de Robert Johnson est un peu floue, mais je trouve que l'auteur aurait pu se commettre un peu plus. Une lecture agréable, sans nous habiter tout à fait. Je suis un peu déçue.
February 22, 2016
Phenomenal drawings in this biography about blues artist Robert Johnson in the early 20th century. Each page is a true piece of art, wonderful! You can read this book knowing nothing about Robert Johnson, but just put up some of his tunes and read the book... You are transported to the South, to Mississippi, and can enjoy this book to the fullest. Highly recommended.
July 20, 2017
Dupont and Mezzo’s darkly sensual portrait of Johnson life is described by an unnamed narrator whose identity is only revealed at the end. Johnson’s short life and large legend and legacy are the perfect source material for this treatment. Author and artist execute it marvelously in all its sad, exuberant, and earthy details.
April 19, 2018
This is a beautiful book. There are a lot of tales about Robert Johnson; unlike other authors, Dupont does not get lost in the various stories while acknowledging that history is murky on Johnson. The random rhyming that was not a lyric was a little distracting but not detrimental to the storytelling.
The art is gorgeous and dynamic. Lovely, high quality book, here, folks.
The art is gorgeous and dynamic. Lovely, high quality book, here, folks.
May 2, 2021
Życie, twórczość i przedwczesna śmierć Roberta Johnsona, zaprezentowane w formie opowieści graficznej. O ile sama historia została przedstawiona pobieżnie, skokowo, o tyle strona wizualna jest niesamowita i bogata w detale. Ciężar ponurych, gęstych i przytłaczających głęboką czernią ilustracji całkiem dobrze rekompensuje to, co nie do końca udało się na poziomie samej narracji.
Warto.
Warto.
June 11, 2015
le dessin est magnifique, mais la narration ne m'a pas touchée, certains passages auraient mérités d'être plus creusés
February 16, 2017
The drawings are really something and make this short graphic novel about the mythical bluesman well worth a look, but I found the storytelling lacking.
December 31, 2018
Une étoile filante dans le ciel du Sud.
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February 4, 2026I haven’t been able to read lately. I’m too miserable and disappointed to dream of how things could be different - it’s as if the revolutionary optimism I’ve been riding for so many years has settled into a sense that it’s all merely working people’s efforts sabotaged by new ways to screw us - mainly by screwing other people, elsewhere, even more.
So what do you do when your revolutionary horse throws you off and you’re laying on the ground with a sprained heart?
Surely there’s more than one answer. Surely the sole answer can’t be to make art, live art. But I dunno man. These days, art seems like the only tangible thing that makes a lick of sense. Music has answers for the soul that words can’t manage. At least not words without music attached.
To break even more free, away from the claustrophobia of words and the logic of power in 2026, I’m not sure how many more typical texts I even want to read. Nonfiction feels like instruction manuals to obsolete electronics, or games you’re missing pieces to. Fiction feels, to me at this moment, a little weak, a little cowardly. The only question that needs answering, in myriad ways, is how are we going to hop off this bullet train to Hell?
So that’s the ambience in which I picked up this book, physically trashed from working at a warehouse, morally trashed from the way life and the news overlap, and culturally trashed from being too burnt out from the first two to pursue much of anything else.
This book is carnal, referential, weird, sad, dark, and vivacious. You can read it in a repose-ful hour. I don’t know if you already needed to love Robert Johnson’s music to enjoy it or not. I already loved Robert Johnson, so much that I’ve been to all 3 of his graves and the crossroads in Clarksdale. So you can’t ask me. But if your cultural consumption feels despairing and flat, innovative only in its cruelty but otherwise homogenous AF, then check this out. The graphics are woodcuts, and earned their category as graphics cuz ooo wee. They sure are graphic. But that’s exactly what a graphic novel can do isn’t it. It can be savage in a way that’s somehow different from merely being brutal. Not sure how to backup that argument, but it feels right to say that. And the narrator of this book is a trickster who hopes you’ve listened to a lot of music. And it occurred to me that tricksters, court jesters, wise fools, and other roles like that (note: I do not mean mainstream satire!) are maybe one of the only ways to start seeing openings to jump off this bullet train to Hell. If the old world is dying and the new one hasn’t yet been born, if we live in a time of monsters, I wonder if there aren’t little holes to wriggle through that only a prankster would notice. Yeah. I think I’m saying what I mean.
So what do you do when your revolutionary horse throws you off and you’re laying on the ground with a sprained heart?
Surely there’s more than one answer. Surely the sole answer can’t be to make art, live art. But I dunno man. These days, art seems like the only tangible thing that makes a lick of sense. Music has answers for the soul that words can’t manage. At least not words without music attached.
To break even more free, away from the claustrophobia of words and the logic of power in 2026, I’m not sure how many more typical texts I even want to read. Nonfiction feels like instruction manuals to obsolete electronics, or games you’re missing pieces to. Fiction feels, to me at this moment, a little weak, a little cowardly. The only question that needs answering, in myriad ways, is how are we going to hop off this bullet train to Hell?
So that’s the ambience in which I picked up this book, physically trashed from working at a warehouse, morally trashed from the way life and the news overlap, and culturally trashed from being too burnt out from the first two to pursue much of anything else.
This book is carnal, referential, weird, sad, dark, and vivacious. You can read it in a repose-ful hour. I don’t know if you already needed to love Robert Johnson’s music to enjoy it or not. I already loved Robert Johnson, so much that I’ve been to all 3 of his graves and the crossroads in Clarksdale. So you can’t ask me. But if your cultural consumption feels despairing and flat, innovative only in its cruelty but otherwise homogenous AF, then check this out. The graphics are woodcuts, and earned their category as graphics cuz ooo wee. They sure are graphic. But that’s exactly what a graphic novel can do isn’t it. It can be savage in a way that’s somehow different from merely being brutal. Not sure how to backup that argument, but it feels right to say that. And the narrator of this book is a trickster who hopes you’ve listened to a lot of music. And it occurred to me that tricksters, court jesters, wise fools, and other roles like that (note: I do not mean mainstream satire!) are maybe one of the only ways to start seeing openings to jump off this bullet train to Hell. If the old world is dying and the new one hasn’t yet been born, if we live in a time of monsters, I wonder if there aren’t little holes to wriggle through that only a prankster would notice. Yeah. I think I’m saying what I mean.
November 11, 2025
Title: Love in Vain - Robert Johnson ja Paholainen tien risteyksessä
Author: J.M. Dupont & Mezzo
Translator: Annukka Kolehmainen
Publisher: Like
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 73
Language: Finnish
Isbn: 978-952-01-1307-0
Published: 2015
First Published: 2014
Read and review: 2025
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)
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Key learning: Depiction of the life of the blues guitarist Robert Johnson
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Love in Vain - Robert Johnson ja Paholainen tien risteyksessä
“Love in vain : Robert Johnson 1911-1938”
by J.M. Dupont & Mezzo tells the story of the blues guitarist legend Robert Johnson in a graphic novel format.
The graphics are impressive. The dark black-and-white visuals fit nicely with the theme of selling one’s soul to the devil, drinking heavily, and wandering through the depths of the underworld playing the blues.
The book is short, and the storytelling moves at times quickly and at times a bit confusingly. If you’re deeply interested in Robert Johnson’s life, I’d recommend reading a “thicker” or more comprehensive work about him. Still, even as it is, the book can be recommended to blues enthusiasts or those interested in history, since it’s by no means a bad read.
Author: J.M. Dupont & Mezzo
Translator: Annukka Kolehmainen
Publisher: Like
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 73
Language: Finnish
Isbn: 978-952-01-1307-0
Published: 2015
First Published: 2014
Read and review: 2025
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)
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Key learning: Depiction of the life of the blues guitarist Robert Johnson
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Love in Vain - Robert Johnson ja Paholainen tien risteyksessä
“Love in vain : Robert Johnson 1911-1938”
by J.M. Dupont & Mezzo tells the story of the blues guitarist legend Robert Johnson in a graphic novel format.
The graphics are impressive. The dark black-and-white visuals fit nicely with the theme of selling one’s soul to the devil, drinking heavily, and wandering through the depths of the underworld playing the blues.
The book is short, and the storytelling moves at times quickly and at times a bit confusingly. If you’re deeply interested in Robert Johnson’s life, I’d recommend reading a “thicker” or more comprehensive work about him. Still, even as it is, the book can be recommended to blues enthusiasts or those interested in history, since it’s by no means a bad read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2018
Bluesin ehkä tunnetuin legenda kertoo siitä kuinka Robert Johnson kohtaa neljän tien risteyksessä itsensä pääpahan ja lupaa sielunsa vastineeksi soittotaidosta. Taakse jäävät maatilan työt ja alkaa kiertely ympäri maata kitara kourassa. Viinaan ja naisiin menevä Johnson luo kitaravetoisen suobluesin ja herättää ensi alkuun lähinnä pahennusta ympärillään. Hänen soittotaitonsa kuitenkin huomataan ja hän ehtii tehdä muutaman levytyksen ennen kuolemaansa. Johnson kuolee vajaan kolmenkymmenen ikäisenä mustasukkaisen miehen myrkyttäessä hänet baarissa.
Love in Vain kertoo Johnsonin tarinan upeana sarjakuvana. Mustavalkoinen piirrostyyli on paksua ja hyvin tummaa. Vaakatasoon taitetun tarinan isoimmat ruudut ovat sivun kokoisia ja monet niistä kelpaisivat raameihin seinälle. Jälki on siis erittäin hienoa.
Tarinan kuljetus ei ole aivan yhtä sujuvaa kuin piirrostyö, mutta oleelliset käännekohdat tulevat selväksi. Loppuun on liitetty Johnsonin kuuluisimpien laulujen sanoitukset.
Bluesdiggareille tämä on must-luettavaa ja muutenkin musiikin juurista kiinnostuneille mielenkiintoinen tapa esittää blues- ja rockkitaroinnin juuria.
Love in Vain kertoo Johnsonin tarinan upeana sarjakuvana. Mustavalkoinen piirrostyyli on paksua ja hyvin tummaa. Vaakatasoon taitetun tarinan isoimmat ruudut ovat sivun kokoisia ja monet niistä kelpaisivat raameihin seinälle. Jälki on siis erittäin hienoa.
Tarinan kuljetus ei ole aivan yhtä sujuvaa kuin piirrostyö, mutta oleelliset käännekohdat tulevat selväksi. Loppuun on liitetty Johnsonin kuuluisimpien laulujen sanoitukset.
Bluesdiggareille tämä on must-luettavaa ja muutenkin musiikin juurista kiinnostuneille mielenkiintoinen tapa esittää blues- ja rockkitaroinnin juuria.
June 8, 2020
Love in vain est une œuvre d'art acoustique et Dupont a réussi à en faire une œuvre d'art visuelle.
Love in vain est une chanson qui marque la carrière musicale et la vie de son créateur, Robert Johnson.
C'est une chanson qui nous emmène au plus profond de l'existence et du cœur de Robert.
Dupont part de la musique de Robert pour nous raconter une vie pleine d'espoirs, de désespoir, d'illusions et d'obstacles.
Il fait un portrait fidèle et subtil de la situation de la communauté noire dans le sud des États-Unis à travers la vie et la musique de Robert.
Il nous apprend la dure vie perdue par la douleur de Robert et avec eux, il nous enseigne les perles les plus brillantes de la musique et les tombes les plus sombres de la douleur.
« Musique du diable, peut-être, mais quoi de mieux pour apaiser les âmes en peine? »
Love in vain est une chanson qui marque la carrière musicale et la vie de son créateur, Robert Johnson.
C'est une chanson qui nous emmène au plus profond de l'existence et du cœur de Robert.
Dupont part de la musique de Robert pour nous raconter une vie pleine d'espoirs, de désespoir, d'illusions et d'obstacles.
Il fait un portrait fidèle et subtil de la situation de la communauté noire dans le sud des États-Unis à travers la vie et la musique de Robert.
Il nous apprend la dure vie perdue par la douleur de Robert et avec eux, il nous enseigne les perles les plus brillantes de la musique et les tombes les plus sombres de la douleur.
« Musique du diable, peut-être, mais quoi de mieux pour apaiser les âmes en peine? »
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