At Project Comic Con in St. Louis, I meet Chris Orndoff, writer/ creator of the character “Blueseph J. Headmetal” and creator of Headmetal Comics. Chris was energized when I engaged him about his character with a guitar for a head. Orndoff’s smile never disappeared while he discussed his passion for Blueseph. He brought a full sized guitar head mask to demonstrate what his character, Blueseph J. Headmetal, might look like.
The character Blueseph is “A regular guy who loves Frank Zappa, but also has a GUITAR-HEAD”. I could see some really interesting stories surrounding a guy who stands out so much in a crowd but is truly a regular guy. This issue focussed on his mother and that circumstances of Blueseph’s conception.
I could tell from the cover of the first issue that this comic is not for children. As I flipped through the comic, I noticed few graphic scenes with sex and graphic language. THIS COMIC BOOK IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. The comic does have a Parental Advisory label.
After a fun conversation, Chris asked me to review his comic book for Geeky KOOL.
Credits:
Blueseph J. Headmetal/ The Arc Immaculate -Issue # 1 (?) –Head Metal Comics
Writer: Christopher Orndoff
Pencils: David Faught
Ink: Ryan McCann
Color: Aaren Vaz
Cover Color: Ozzie Martin
Price: $3.00
Plot Overview:
Roxanna “Roxy” Headmetal’s is in a relationship with her boyfriend, Rahm. Rahm buys her a guitar to demonstrate his love. Roxy loves her guitar and attempts to learn it. She catches her boyfriend with another girl. This leads to a unique origin story for the conception of Blueseph. While pregnant, Roxy quickly learns the guitar.
Review: (Reminder: this comic is not appropriate for children)
Art:
Most small or independent comic books are black and white. This comic is fully colored and is very pretty. Many of the black and white comics are great but if done correctly color can add a ton visual stimulation and assist in story telling and projecting emotions. The coloring by Vaz is excellent and works greatly with the pencils of Faught and the ink of McCann.
The art was overall wonderful. I was impressed with the art for a small publication. I have seen art in major comics from DC and Marvel that is not this good. There are a lot of details in the art and use of lines. I loved the visualization of the music and how it contributes to the story and characters. There were a panels that went back to black and white but a splash of color in spot. This was enjoyable and not overused.
This comic is created and takes place in St. Louis. The art does demonstrate the setting of St. Louis. I noticed specific buildings, a Mizzou jersey, and of course the Arch.
The biggest problem for me was on the cover. No where on the cover does it display the name of the comic book series or the number of the issue. Inside the front cover I get “HeadMetal Comics Presents “The Arc Immaculate”. I am unsure if “The Arc Immaculate” is the name for the comic book series or the title of the issue. My assumption is that it is the name of the issue and the comic series is either named Blueseph J. Headmetal or maybe “Guitar Head”.
Some of the pages are a bit wordy. The conversation is important for the plot so it is necessary. Sometimes too many words and conversations can disrupt the flow of a page and the comic book. In this instance, I felt like it was not bad and didn’t disrupt the comic book.
This story is set in the early 80s but Roxy is wearing Thong underwear. My understanding is that Thong underwear did not make it to the U.S. until the early 90s. I am not sure but Roxanna might be a stripper.
Story/Plot:
This is a unique origin story. It focuses on Roxy and her relationship with Rahm and the guitar. Roxy is a strong female character that has a mind of her own. She moves on past Rahm after she catches him messing around on her. It is a solid story.
The plot device that leads to Roxy’s pregnancy with Blueseph is creative. It is unbelievable but so are the origin stories of most of our super heroes and we don’t bat an eye at them.
The plot is solid but nothing exciting.
My REVIEW:
This book is a twisted and bizarre tale. It was told by decent writing and really good art. It was more graphic that I prefer in a comic.
To be fair, I am cape and mask kind of comic book fan. My comfort zone is main stream superheroes. This comic is way outside of my comfort zone and not really my style but I still appreciate it for being a good comic.
I would have preferred a comic book focused on the guitar head Blueseph. It was interesting to read the origin but it was not necessary for me to buy into Blueseph. In fact, I might have liked it better if this story was told 12 issues (or so) into a run on Blueseph after becoming invested in the story.
Grade: B- to C+
