If you're confused about the title, it's not surprising. This is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Vol. 1, of the first story arc. The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure that previously came out in the States was actually from the third story arc, Stardust Crusaders. This is the very beginning of the entire saga! 

While there are some “bizarre” elements to the first adventure of the first JoJo (named that way because he's called Jonathan Joestar), the plot for the volume one is pretty classic—JoJo is a kind-hearted aristocrat dealing with a rival named Dio who has mysterious ties to his family. If Dio’s relationship to JoJo were less murky, I could boil this story down to “Cain and Abel on Steroids.”

The mysterious mask, which is the most fantastic thing in this volume, is introduced in a gleefully, gloriously grizzly four-page color spread! The level of gore may be off-putting for some, but I really like that JoJo grabs the reader by the throat and screams—“Not for children!” 

After the mask is introduced in four pages of bloodletting, the immortal-making mask matters not until the last third of the volume. I get the sense that Araki Sensei does not want to draw some stone mask as much as he wants to draw really big dudes in late 19th-century fashion. The football scene alone is worth the cover price! Araki Sensei lovingly draws early football uniforms on both Dio and JoJo. It’s a fun image, especially if the reader knows how small turn-of-the-century college football players were. All-American tackle Frederick Henninger was considered giant at 184 pounds in 1894. JoJo weighs something like 230 pounds (if I am doing the kilogram to pound conversion right) and all of it muscle!

One of the most interesting thing about JoJo’s are the hilarious names for all the characters based on a variety of famous musicians throughout time. It pays homage to its inspirations loudly and proudly. Although in this volume we only get a taste with Dio (Ronny James Dio) and the excitable Mr. Speedwagon (REO Speedwagon).

There are many fighting manga, but few sell the fact that the punches REALLY freaking hurt as much as JoJo’s does. Dio Brando and Jonathan Joester may hate each other, but I suspect they agree on a generous Joestar family dental plan. Overall, the art is fantastic even though it’s fairly early in Araki Sensei’s career. His faces and expressions are expertly rendered. Backgrounds are beautiful. Shading, texturing and everything else looks great. Sometimes his bodies get a little wacky, but to me that just adds to the charm. After all, it’s a manga famous for eccentric poses and outlandish fashion. And even an early volume like this one has plenty of both.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one the most successful manga in history. Over the 25 years it’s been published in various incarnations, it’s racked up an astounding 80 million copies sold. But you will not be thinking of sales figures as you read this volume. You’ll be thinking, “I can’t wait to see JoJo give Dio his well-deserved comeuppance!” But you WILL have to wait! This is merely the beginning of many battles Dio and the Joestar family will fight! That’s what makes this volume so special—it lays the foundation for the many fights to come!

And not only is this a great story, but if you are what American comic fans call a “format snob,” you’ll want this edition. It’s rare to see manga get a hard cover, but this one also comes with color pages, a glossy cover, endpapers and an overall stellar design. It will look very nice on your shelf. 

You can see how mean Dio is to JoJo at Viz.com! 

by Robert McCarthy