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The Original Johnson #11
Published by ComicMix, January 2009
Jack Johnson steps up to help his family... if his father will let him.
Credits: John Workman (Letterer), Trevor Von Eeden (Penciller), Trevor Von Eeden (Writer), Don Hillsman II (Inker), George Freeman (Colorist), Carrie Wright (Letterer), Glenn Hauman (Assistant Editor), Mike Gold (Editor)
More: The Original Johnson
Comments (4)
Russ Rogers (10:32 AM on Fri Jan 9, 2009)
OK, when we last saw one of Jack's parents, his mother (Tiny) was giving him a lesson on the beating end of a broomstick. His mother looked like she was in her thirties or early forties. Tops This makes sense when your talking about a boy about 10 ears old.
So was Jack Johnson's father really that OLD? He looks like he's in his mid-sixties? Gray hair. Wrinkles. And carrying a cane. Maybe the cane is just there for when book learning isn't enough. Maybe Henry Johnson let Tiny take care of all the domestic child abuse.
I also don't see how this conversation fits in with the chronology of events. Jack has already run off to Noo Yawk. He's had jobs breaking horses and being broken by them. It seems like he's been away from the family and his school work for quite some time. Why is Henry so worried about it now? Wouldn't this conversation make more sense coming before Jack's episode riding the rails? Maybe things didn't happen that way. Maybe Von Eeden is following Johnson's autobiography or some other source material.
I just don't see how Henry and Tiny fit together. They don't seem very ... compatible. One is worried about school and books. The other is beating a child half to death with a broom. One is aged and decrepit. And the other is ... beating children half to death with a broom. And the family seems very happy, prosperous and especially well read. Three children are shown gleefully brandishing books. It just doesn't look like a home where a boy might be saying, "Dad, I could help out with the money. I could go be a dock worker!"
And nobody wakes up from a near wet dream with a thirst for ... (wait for it) ... knowledge. Unless it's carnal knowledge. Does anybody besides me use the phrase "carnal knowledge" anymore?
Anonymous (5:51 PM on Wed Feb 4, 2009)
Russ:
Maybe no-one that YOU know "wakes up from a wet dream with a thirst for...knowledge"
Jack Johnson obviously represents someone that you've never met before. Your comments seem picayune to the extreme, to me. Open your mind--let something new in. You might be surprised at what you can LEARN, from a p.o.v. OUTSIDE of your familiar frame of reference. There's more to life--and human nature-- than you seem to know, my friend.
-Trevor Von Eeden.
Russ Rogers (1:14 PM on Thu Feb 5, 2009)
Sorry, Trevor. That was just a small aside. A tiny "carnal knowledge" joke, if you will. I even tried to include a little self-effacing note to show that it was a joke. Oh well. It's a poor comedian who blames the audience for the joke bombing.
Yeah, my comments can be picayune. Like my being annoyed that this comic displays graphic sex acts with children, it's a minor detail. (See? I'm a punny guy!)
Is it picayune to find the Chronology of Events in this episode confusing? Shouldn't Pa Johnson have had the "stay in school" talk with Jack BEFORE he ran off to Noo Yawk, began his dalliances with prostitutes or broke his leg trying to break horses? Or is this scene supposed to be a flashback?
What did you mean when you said Jack Johnson represents someone that I have never met before? Because you are right. I can't remember ever meeting a professional boxer.
And when did you get a chance to meet Jack Johnson, Trevor? He died fifteen years before you were born! Don't disqualify my reactions to this work because they come from a different frame of reference than your own. Try to LEARN from my p.o.v., because it's also valid.
What TYPES of people have a frame of reference that it valid enough to make suggestions, Trevor? The TYPES of people who have woken up from wet dreams empowered to meet the challenges of the world? Is that what you meant?
You will find that I have not only been your harshest critic on ComicMix, Trevor, but I am also one of your biggest fans and supporters. I have called "The Original Johnson" a Masterwork.
Here's a quote from a recent comment on ComicMix: " "The Original Johnson" remains a MUST READ on my list. I've seen nothing else with the same kind of Mastery, Bravado and sense of Moral Outrage; there has never been anything like it in comics." Tell me who else is talking about "The Original Johnson" in such glowing phases? I've also said, "Von Eeden's deft skill, craftsmanship and seemingly effortless execution with the art on "The Original Johnson" is staggering." You didn't find that comment picayune or invalid!
I have tried to keep an mind open. Admittedly, my views of Jack Johnson (the man) are prejudiced by the fact that it seems like he was a domestically abusive sex addict. I have reread this work, so far. Studied it. Commented. Researched Jack Johnson beyond this work. I've praised and I've criticized! Nobody has commented more often or praised you, Trevor, more highly in those comments. And now I find my comments are dismissed as picayune and invalid, because I don't have the right frame of reference. Open your mind, my friend, recognize this constructive criticism as my attempt at being constructive, not just critical.
Obviously the failure to communicate my desire to be constructive was mine. I'm sorry.
Russ Rogers (11:12 PM on Sat Feb 7, 2009)
* Jack Johnson died only thirteen years before Trevor Von Eeden was born.
-Mr. Picayune (So much for basic math skills!)