Outlaw Man

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

While waiting for the final chapter of Jojolion I decided to read all of Hirohiko Araki's non-Jojo works, starting with his early manga. Out of all of them, this one is his most obscure, having not been included in the Gorgeous Irene volume with his other one-shots. I don't think it's his worst manga (that would be Gorgeous Irene) but I do think it's his least interesting and least memorable work. Despite that, it's still pretty decent.

Outlaw Man is pretty short, so there's not much to say about it. The story follows a man who is also an outlaw, an Outlaw Man if you ... will, as he's chased by the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Like almost all of Araki's works, there are plenty of mind games and strategy, things that would later become some of his trademarks. The story and characters are pretty standard overall, having almost none of the bizarreness that would later become another Araki trademark. The art is fine, but not as good as Araki's later work.

Overall, Outlaw Man is enjoyable enough. It's interesting to see how far Araki has come as an artist and a storyteller.

Outlaw Man is yet another precursor to the Jojo that we have all come to love. Elements of Outlaw Man are certainly reused throughout Jojo, from figures like Hol Horse to the entire setting of Steel Ball Run. While certainly not fleshed out, or visually as interesting as anything that comes later, Outlaw Man is a decent read given it's length, but ultimately is too short to really leave the reader with anything notable. It's more of a take on a typical spaghetti western, which already was a worn outtrope. Without the stands of Jojo invention, and the real fashion pioneering in Araki's later works, ... there is just not all that much to read. There is only so much one could expect from a One-Shot of an early artist finding their stride, but sadly there is literal reason to read this beyond a historically interested manga aficionado.