ALL BLOSSOM ELECTRIC IN THE CITY OF BLACK MIRACLES – An Honest Review

ALL BLOSSOM ELECTRIC IN THE CITY OF BLACK MIRACLES, available from Murder Cult Manufacture on July 15th, 2020, is about an ensemble of villains chasing after a demonic book and how that leads to the destruction of an entire city.

The Details

• Written By: The Letter N
• Art By: The Letter N
• Colors By: The Letter I
• Letters By: The Letter N
• Cover Art By: The Letter N
• Cover Price: $7.99
• Release Date: July 15, 2020

Was It Good?

There’s a very specific, very niche, very tiny group of people who will love this book. Everyone else will either be confused by it and won’t finish it, or they will feel uplifted by claiming to have endured long enough to finish it. Which group you’re in is entirely up to you.

Many of the ideas in this book are quite interesting. There’s the notion that words are magic (but not in the traditional fairytale sense), the idea that realities and existence are shaped by everything from music to emotion to non-classical concepts of idolatry, the suggestions that everyone and everything is beholden to or composed of monsters, magic, and mayhem.

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Unfortunately, this book periodically disrupts/interrupts all those creative ideas to tell you in excruciating detail Trump was a racist idiot, everyone who voted for him is a racist idiot, and FOX News is the center of lies preventing humanity from becoming better.

For all its unnecessarily verbose self-importance over how smart this book is trying to convince you it is, there’s a lot of creative talent and imagination in here. However, the leftist, anti-Trump, anti-FOX talking points are probably the biggest down point of the book because, to be blunt, they lack imagination. The book tries so hard to pull you into a new world created to tell this story, and then practically kicks you out to get the political propaganda across in defiance of the world it creates.

To be clear, this is not a critique that chooses support for or against any political figure or platform, but when you create hyper-existential fantasy, you want to bring the reader out of their world and into yours. When the creators jarringly force-fit in real-world people and events without reshaping them to fit this new world, it breaks the illusion.

As for the art, it’s more polished than you would expect from an indie comic. The rough lines and loose anatomy definitely convey an indie feel, and the subject designs are as much grindhouse as arthouse. The book is visually interesting and projects a deceptive amount of talent, especially in the coloring.

It’s definitely not a boring book if you can get past the narration and dialog. The writer is absolutely not writing for the average person to understand what’s going on. You don’t need to be a Graduate Studies TA high on weed and three back-to-back all-nighters studying for a Metaphysical Philosophy final exam, but it would help.

It may sound like I’m tap-dancing around whether or not it was good, but that’s the point. There’s a lot to like in this GN, and some pieces fall completely flat. In short, it’s a mixed bag.

If you want material that challenges your imagination, challenges your concepts of demons, villains, reality, magic, and even challenges your reading comprehension, this may be worth the cover price for you.

If you want to read something that has all those same challenges but delivered in a mass-market friendly package, this ain’t it, chief.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

There are three “Great Devastations” that will eventually destroy the Earth. This volume details the first of the three about a group of 24 indestructible villains who are all pursuing Hell’s version of the Bible. Each villain has their own agenda for the book, typically involving humanity’s destruction, and each will make alliances or execute betrayals to get it.

It would be impossible to describe the plot in any way that makes sense without making this review 16 pages long, so we’ll step through the villains and their goals.

Blue is a former hero turned villain, corrupted by his deviant urges.

Mu is a K-Pop/J-Pop demon who uses her mass-produced music to consume adoration, popularity, and flesh.

The Librarian is a 30-something, edgelord librarian who wants to confront humanity with its own evil in the hope that such confrontation will result in humanity destroying itself. Based on the narration and views expressed, the Librarian is one of two villains who is the most likely to be an author insert.

Doctor Hologram is a trans-dimensional, evil scientist who’s in constant search of the ultimate knowledge from the darkest corners of existence.

Moth Priestess is a demonic magic wielder intent on destroying all humanity for its abhorrent existence.

Isabella Jones is the blind, psychic, samurai warrior determined to kill the racist president who made her what she is (long story). This is the second likeliest character to be an author insert.

Abby St. Claire – demonic-magic wielding assassin for hire.

Stella Telenova is the immortal, android warrior created in the depths of Hell who wants nothing more than to die and end the pain of its existence.

Ms. Metro is the super-powered sister to the Librarian who’s declared missing throughout most of the book. Her disappearance is a persistent mystery.

When you put all those folks together, they make up only a fraction of the 24 to bring about the first Great Devastation.

How Does It End?

The mystery of Ms. Metro’s disappearance is partially solved. One of the villains does get the book but to bargain for something greater. Jones and St. Claire go on a road trip.

Final Thoughts

ALL BLOSSOM ELECTRIC IN THE CITY OF BLACK MIRACLES exemplifies the arthouse indie experience in graphic novel form. The concepts are complex, the art is original, and the writing is mostly creative.

Score: 7/10