Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Kleist graphic novel covers the biography of Johnny Cash, yet at times it seems the work meanders. The work taps into Cash’s earlier life, from Depression-era childhood to the Folsom performance. There are time jumps in the novel, which some may find initially confusing. The novel ends in Cash’s later years working on “Ghost Riders in the Sky”. The illustrations fit the subject matter well. In the graphic biography, Cash is a rough featured man of pain and complexity. The artwork is able convey an emotional intensity, notably at the Nickajack Cave experience. For the Folsom Prison concert, Kleist told the concert's tale with the perspective of Folsom inmate Glen Sherley, an actual prisoner. Comic style versions of Cash's hits including "Don't Take Your Guns to Town," "The Ballad of Ira Hayes," and "Boy Named Sue" were interspersed between the biography story. The work depicts Cash’s developments as an artist, and is recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about the man and musician. This was better than I'd anticipated. The parallel story of Glen Sherley (a former Folsom Prison inmate who wrote a song and became famous largely due to Cash's patronage) helped symbolize the importance The Man in Black has rightfully has held for so many downtrodden people. The way the author visually presented some of his songs were brilliant, woven into the graphic novel as a whole. Thoroughly recommended for fellow Cash fans and graphic novel fans. Also recommended to everyone else.
What do You think about Johnny Cash: I See A Darkness (2006)?
Not too be missed. An honest and moving portrait of a truly original songwriter and cultural icon.
—Reivah
Great read, love the illustrations and how they tied with the story. Excellent.
—drhouse
An excellent biography in the medium of comics.
—emily
