Here in the United States, February is Black History Month, a time when we’re called to celebrate and reflect upon the history and achievements of black people across the world.

Blaster Knuckle, or ブラス・ナックル, was a 1992 manga serialized in Young Animal. Running a modest three volumes, one gets the impression it got cancelled earlier than its creator would have liked, because Blaster Knuckle builds toward something Beserkian in style, scope and ambition.

Victor Freeman is a black cowboy that somberly wanders the Old West, guns and a steel glove his only companions. Being black in a racist society would be difficult enough for an average person, but Victor is able to deal withs racists the easy way: by beating the crap out of them.

Freeman is a retired heavyweight boxer on the hunt for members of the illusive Klu Klux Klan, who killed his father when he was a child. But the KKK aren’t merely the despicable organization of which we’re familiar, they’re also a covert gang of undead monsters which feast upon human flesh. The only way to stop these beasts is to punch them in their heads until they explode.

The public perception of Victor Freeman is that he’s an indiscriminate murderer, so a bounty is placed on his head. Because Freeman is a black man killing monsters which happen to be white, he’s tragically doomed to be persecuted by the very people he protects, people who’d persecute him anyway because of his skin color.

Victor Freeman, Blog of the North Star salutes you. We’ve only scratched the surface of what makes Blaster Knuckle great, not to mention what it could have been if permitted to continue. Shizuya Wazarai, the creator of Blaster Knuckle, has since found greater success with Cestvs, a gladitorial boxing manga taking place in the Roman era, though this manga will always remain bigger, better and blacker.

Related posts:

1. 3 Forgotten Manga Worth Adding to Your Library