Love in Vain

Review All the time that the tension builds, so too does the detail in Johnstone's picture of a once-happy family ground down by sorrow...I would have been happy to read chapters and chapters more of this book. -- Independent on Sunday Product Description 'A beautiful retelling ... which captures the great man's spirit.' UNCUT 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. Review A beautiful retelling ... which captures the great man's spirit. ― UNCUT A stunning and spine-chilling portrait of the demon bluesman... ― MOJO It's a testament to Mezzo's fluent, powerful drawing style and Dupont's expert handling of narrative pace and tension that Love in Vain stays in the reader's mind long after the final page is turned. A fitting tribute to a mercurial and enigmatic talent. ― Big Issue Robert Johnson's short spooky life continues to be a source of deep fascination for today's music-loving multitudes almost as much as his recorded legacy still castes a unique spell over anyone fortunate enough to hear its eerie songs and supernatural guitar technique. Love in Vain offers us all an ambitious and inventive re-telling of Robert Johnson's star-crossed odyssey in words and pictures that will delight blues purists and blues tourists. ― Nick Kent, author of The Dark Stuff and Apathy for the Devil A vivid, mischievous and earthy account of a tale that's been told so often it was in danger of becoming studied and dull, the opposite of Johnson's music [...] beautifully printed and bound marvel of a graphic novel that blues fans will find hard to resist. ― Record Collector Love In Vain is special, less a biography of Johnson and more a fitting and exceptional work of art created in his honour. ― Loud and Quiet This slim but unforgettable volume will satisfy all aspiring and established blues makers and fans. ― Songlines Book Description Love in Vain is the thrilling graphic novel telling of the life of Robert Johnson, the legendary bluesman who died over 75 years ago. About the Author An avid admirer of Robert Crumb, Mezzo is one of the most respected artists in the french graphic novel world. His cult classic King of the Flies (with Michel Pirus) was published in the USA by Fantagraphics. A former music journalist, Jean-Michel Dupont also worked as a copywriter for advertising.