A Journey of A Thousand Miles:

@Large

…starts with one step. In the “A Thousand Miles” series, I’ll be taking a series each week that looks interesting to me and reviewing the first volume. Focused on, essentially, exposing myself to as many new series as possible, each will culminate in whether I think it’s worth continuing.

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At Large (stylized as “@Large”) is a 2003 action drama manga by Ahmed Hoke. It bills itself as America’s first Hip Hop manga – a tall claim, but definitely not one I have the ability or desire to refute.

Cover Appeal

Ahmed Hoke – Our story writer and illustrator is a Chicago born and South California raised artist. They have roots in the LA graffiti scene and are an accomplished graphic artist in their own right. And that’s in addition to their love for both listening to and producing Hip Hop music. This isn’t a job interview, but those seem like some solid credentials to have, considering the subject matter.

The Big Two – There’s roughly three plot threads running throughout volume 1. The most ominous is that of the mysterious Russian figure being pursued by the FBI. The other two revolve around the two characters on the the cover. The first is about Rust, a burntout graffiti artist with a slight temper who finds himself on the bad side of some of Broke Roger’s associates. The other is about said Broke Rogers, an up and coming Emcee signed to Jungle Records.

The Gist

The streets of LA can be a jungle sometimes. Rust is a listless graffiti artist. True Epic is a boisterous amateur Emcee willing to battle anyone. Broke Rogers is a professional rapper making a name for himself. And lets not even get started on the new blond lady in town or the shadowy Russian figure. All of these characters and their stories converge at “@Large”, the newest internet cafe, recording studio and all around hang out spot. Do any of these individuals find some degree of success in these tough streets?

Cast

Rust – Graffiti artist. Ties to tag his signature “DNA” tag wherever he can. Usually hangs out with his friends, True Epic and Dope, though their behavior lately has had him questioning that.

True Epic

– You’ve likely seen True Epic before. Loud, overly confident, likes rapping. He’s always spoiling for a battle and gives Broke Rogers a hard time when he comes to town.

Broke Rogers – Professional Emcee. Signed to Jungle Records. He doesn’t let on, but the quintessential struggle of the thug rapper is all over him – maintaining authenticity and proving ones’s competence.

Skye – Attractive blonde girl seen around @Large. She seems to be looking for someone special. Considering the big wigs that are frequenting @Large lately, it may be a celebrity or studio executive.

The Rub

Believe it or not, I’m in the same position as many people who will/will have read this. As a person not very well versed in the mechanics and history of Hip Hop and rap, I find myself on the outside looking in. This always makes properties like @Large, and even Peepo Choo, interesting to me because I know that, as a cultural institution, they are still culturally African American and, thus, inform and are informed by peoples’ perceptions thereof. Or, more directly, I ain’t a hip hop head, but I know that it’s certifiably Black(tm) and that there’s a bunch of what being black is (and what people will think being black is) in there.

That being said, there’s going to be some culture shock in reading @Large. The liberal use of AAVE alone will do that. But you’ll see the normal people with all of their normal compulsions if you work through the veneer and flash of everyone’s personas. And that’s precisely what they are, personas. Much like certain facets of hip hop itself, everyone is taking who they are, who they want to be, deconstructing them and retooling the pieces into what you see. It’s all about the presentation. That’s why there are no Tom’s, Bob’s or Gabe’s but, rather, Rock, Dope, or True Epic. Technicalities aside, it’s probably better to think of @Large’s cast as people playing parts on the grand stage of the LA’s streets than staunch characters in and of themselves. Skye’s summation of the social order halfway through really drives this point home.

But sometimes, it can be had to rectify those pieces. The easiest place to see this is with the two foil characters True Epic and Broke Rogers. Broke Rogers is, indeed, not broke. But he works this persona because there’s a degree of power in being unbroken by lowly status. True Epic talks a good game, but we don’t see any of his “feats”, as some would say. However, we get the best bars of the volume when the two battle a little near the end. Neither are quite who they say they are, but is that detrimental? If these personas inform who they presently are, is that not a valid part of their identity? Rust and Dope have a similar thing going on. They are both a bit anti-social in their methods. Rust is a renegade artist who smokes and drinks. Dope riles Rust up despite his anger issues, rides skateboards dangerously and carries a gun, so he’s not a shining paragon of civility himself. However, Rust is perpetually tired, and nearly gets himself killed when he goes out tagging one night. Dope, ironically, isn’t shown doing drugs and handles his problems with a certain degree of grace and conviction. One of these two seems able to handle themselves, the other, not so much

Artwise, @Large uses a loose, somewhat exaggerated cartoon style. Ahmed deliberately plays with proportion and perspective for artistic effect. Think cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Significant Other” album and the people from Madvillian’s “All Caps” music video and you’ll be somewhere in the ballpark. It’s the kind of art style that wouldn’t seem out of place in graffiti itself. To the end, Ahmed works his own graffiti style directly into the manga, using it to punctuate the drowsy drug induced sleep sequences Rust goes through.

The Verdict

@Large isn’t your traditional manga fare – but you’ve likely seen much weirder things on your local manga shelf. I fear that for most, the draw of authentic Hip Hop representation would’ve been a little thin at the time and even more so now, some 16 odd years later. The names and faces of Hip Hop have changed. New sub genres have come (and arguably gone). I wonder how @Large would’ve looked if it was made today. How would nerdcore and the rise of geekdom have factored in? How would Youtube, Spotify and Soundcloud have affected the lives and prospects of the characters? Imagine True Epic as a Soundcloud rapper. Would any of that have even made that much of a difference at all? We could probably count on Skye and the mystery man plots to remain about the same.

@Large feels like a relic of a bygone era. Almost like a time capsule. I don’t think it’s going to change any lives, but it’s worth a gander just for the snapshot of culture it provides and I just might track down what’s left of the rest of the series one day.

Continue?: Eh, why not?