Detroit Metal City Vol. 1

First and foremost, I have to say, not everyone will appreciate the humor in DMC. The characters are sadistic, lascivious, and abusive. if you have ever in any way been offended by anything... you should probably skip this one. With that said, everyone with a wonderfully dark sense of humor, welcome to the show!

Ever find yourself in a situation where you stop and think to yourself; “How did I end up like this? Where did I go wrong? All I ever wanted was to ...(insert aspirations here).” This is an everyday contemplation for Soichi Nigishi the Front man of Detroit Metal City. Nigishi navigates the ins and outs of everyday life in his world or should I say actually wobbles, stumbles and eats pavement while trying to be a good person.

Introducing Soichi Nigishi, a twenty three year old mama's boy with a musical degree and dreams of hitting it big in a campy pop band that sings love songs. Now Nigishi (or Johannes Krauser II as his fans know him) is in the popular band Detroit Metal City. DMC is just catching it's big break, however the songs Nigishi finds himself singing are far from the saccharine sweet ditties he is longing for.

DMC is the most brutal death metal band in all of Japan, maybe even the world! Raw and uncensored, this corpse paint wearing band rips it up night after night with songs like Satsugai (Kill Them All) and Evil Lord (I imagine if Emperor, Children of Bodom, and Nile had a baby, that's what DMC would sound like.) Whenever Nigishi puts his stage makeup on (with the Kanji character for kill on his forehead) he transforms into a vile, soulless, jerk with no restraint, or regret. It isn't long before rumors about Krauser II and his past leave reality far behind, building a reputation that haunts Nigishi wherever he goes. Of course for the most part, there are perfectly rational explanations, but what people see and what really happens turns into a down hill battle for Nigishi. From defending the woman he likes to tripping on an uneven sidewalk, Nigishi finds the consequences of even his best intentions backfiring with alarming (and hilarious) results.

As far as the characters go, I have to say the band manager is simultaneously my most and least favorite character. This broad is a “See You Next Tuesday” in bold, capital letters (underlined and highlighted too!) She knows what makes her (how did she put it...) ”turn into a bowl of clam chowder”...and she seeks that in everything she produces for the band. No sappy love songs for this chick. She is always trying to push for more depraved, lewd, acts from Krauser II in order to build on his already vile reputation. I like the openness and simplicity of her personality, what you see is what you get with her. She says what she is thinking when you don't want, need or even care to know. She even goes so far as to invade Nigishi's living space and demands he live metal as well as play it.

This manga reads from right to left so sometimes (if your not used to it) it can be a little confusing. I still find myself having to go back and re-read pages before they make sense but the effort is well worth it. There are also great little vocabulary breakdowns for each chapter, so if your not totally down with the terminology, your not totally lost. The artwork is incredible. The background of almost every cell is detailed with sound effects, motion and scenery. Almost to the point where it overwhelms the story. In some areas you can get lost in the all the atmosphere and divert form the storyline. This is certainly a case where less would be more.

This series really took me by surprise and I have to say at first I didn't think much of it, and yes, I was offended by a lot of the content. But then after reading it a few more times the shock wore off and the laughter began. Most of the humor is so absurd that you can't help but give in to fits of laughter. However, I would not recommend this for any conservative or younger readers. Overall I give this series a score of 7. It is funny and inventive, even if not always easy to follow. DMC Volume 1 is now available as a VIZ Signature release, complete with complimentary temporary DMC tattoos. (So you too can look METAL!)

If you want more DMC be sure to check here, here and here for Josh B.'s great reviews of the Revoltech figures of the DMC band.