Rocket Bomber - manga

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

Air Gear, Vol. 3
Published by: Del Rey Books
Writer & Artist: Oh!great

224 (200) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2003. US edition January 2007.
Translation & Adaptation: Makoto Yukon
Lettering: Janice Chiang
Publisher’s Rating: Older Teen, Ages 16+

Rating: 3 out of 5

##

Premise: The very latest in cool gear are inline skates with power boosters, called Air Trecks. It’s all fun and games until the Trecks are adopted by the local street gangs…

Synopsis:

Coming right off of the build-up at the end of volume two, we’re dropped into the duel between Itsuki and Buccha, the so called “Parts War”. While Itsuki first accepted the challenge as a way to score some free parts for his skates, it is taking on a darker tone, now that Buccha has put two of his friends in the hospital. Itsuki is facing down Buccha not to save cash, but to save face and redeem the good name of the Eastside Guns.

…and after 30 or so pages of buildup, they’re off. It’s a no holds barred race across campus, and only the winner will be able to claim the school as their turf. Win or lose, though, Itsuki still needs better gear, and some training past the couple of tricks he knows so far. His instincts and reflexes are good, but who will help him attain the top ranks as a Storm Rider?

##

Review:

So, if volume one was there to introduce characters, and volume two was devoted largely to introducing concepts, then at this point (roughly) we should be settling in to some sort of plot and plan for the next dozen or so volumes.

And hey, what do you know? Oh!Great is showing us the Storm Rider rankings (F to A, with a special S class on top of that) and points out that our hero, like any new Rider, is starting out as an F-class. There is also some improbably hot guy standing around spouting things about “keepers” and “roads” and “emblems”, so you know there is also a much larger frame story building, past that of just punk kids on skates challenging each other.

I don’t know that the series will improve from this point. Well, the stuff I said earlier about the art still holds — all the action is well drawn, and you will believe a 500 pound man can fly — but a comic is more than just pretty pictures. Itsuki still has a lot of growing up to do before I’ll do more than just tolerate the guy, and this volume shows just how much the series relies on it’s so-called-hero to carry the plot. One presumes that all future volumes will be a near endless series of one-on-one duels, and I’ll give up quick if Itsuki manages to win all of them with little more than braggadocio and dumb luck.

He needs to buckle down and learn, before his mouth gets him into real trouble. Of course, instead of real character development I’m sure all we’re going to get are some training montages, a few choice fortune-cookie-slogans from his coach/master/sensei/whomever, and then it will just be a slightly more competent but still dickish Itsuki that goes on to win the next contest.

Around our hero, though, it looks like a solid cast is shaping up, so all may not be lost. I’m still hoping for a greater role for the Noyamano sisters, and there is also Simca and this new pretty boy, who is either going to be a villain or a mentor of sorts to Itsuki, likely both. I can’t believe I’m saying it after 600 pages, but it’s still too early in this one to give it a fair rating. Oh!Great is going to need at least one more volume, possibly two, before I’ll be able to tell if this series is going to be something exceptional or just a clever repackaging of old plot and character tropes.

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

*Matt’s Capsule Manga Reviews, Edition 2:
Angel Cup #3, Tail of the Moon #3, Yakitate!! Japan #3, 0/6 (Zero/Six) #3*

When I posted the first batch of capsule reviews, I thought it might become a regular (even weekly) feature. Since six weeks have passed since the last one, I guess we can all see that I was wrong. Or at least, premature — no doubt, as I continue to review so many first volumes, there are going to be more series for us to check back with.

It’s the attack of Volume 3! Not just Suzuka (yesterday’s review), but 4 caps today and a full review of Air Gear #3 (coming tomorrow).

##

Angel Cup, vol. 3
Published by: Tokyopop
Writer: Dong Wook Kim
Artist: Jae Ho Youn

184 (168) pages.
Vintage: 2001. US edition February 2007
Translation: Jumi V. Yang
English Adaptation: Hope Donovan
Retouch & Lettering: Star Print Brokers
Production Artist: Courtney Geter
Cover Design: Kyle Plummer
Graphic Designer: Fawn Lau
Editor: Katherine Schilling
Publisher’s Rating: Teen, ages 13+

Previously reviewed: Vols. 1 & 2
Rating: still 3 out of 5

What’s up:

After the boys-vs-girls game (which ran 215 pages or so) we take a step back from the pitch for a character-building volume. There are a lot of new girls to introduce, and while the team recruits and trains some of the mysteries introduced in the first two volumes will have to back-seat it for a while.

Obviously, volume three is a transition, with the new team being officially set up and their first game just a few pages away in volume four. So we get the usual sports-manga training montages, and a few hooks to lead us into later volumes.

It’s still good stuff (and there is enough fan-service to make me doubt the 13+ rating) but the real story is going to play out in volume four, with the first match for the Han Shin Blue Angels in the new league. Between the promise of an actual match and the plot building behind our two main characters, So-jin and Shin-be, I’ll give volume three a pass as necessary back-story before we get back to on-field action in future volumes.

##

Tail of the Moon, vol. 3
Published by: Viz Media’s Shojo Beat
Writer & Artist: Rinko Ueda

200 (186) pages.
Vintage: 2002. US edition February 2007
Translation & Adaptation: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
Retouch & Lettering: Mark McMurray
Graphic Design: Izumi Hirayama
Editor: Nancy Thistlethwaite
Publisher’s Rating: Older Teen, ages 16+ (brief nudity and ninja violence)

Previously reviewed: Vols. 1 & 2
Rating: still 3 out of 5

What’s Up:

Of course poor Usagi is going to experience an emotional roller-coaster; this is shoujo. She may be stuck in the service of Lord Ieyasu, but her skills as an herbalist serve her well. And it would seem that absence makes the heart grow fonder, as Honzo comes to terms with his complicated feelings towards marriage in general, and Usagi in particular. The usual hijinks are in play, as various characters find themselves in or out of beds, and in or out of clothes, in ways that are embarrassing but don’t quite violate the age rating of the comic.

A bit of drama develops as well, mid-volume, centered around Yukimaru (a fellow herbalist, introduced right at the end of volume 2) and his odd aversion to women–which comes into direct opposition to his role as a healer & with a tie-in to his past… It’s a nice plot twist, and keeps the will-they-won’t-they plot line of Usagi and Hanzo simmering in the background, without making this volume feel like filler. Of course, the relationship between Usagi and her love is still the A-plot, and there are some advances on that front as well.

Even if you don’t like so-called “girls” comics, you might give this one a read. I’m enjoying the series, though I wonder how Ueda is going to keep the momentum going for another 9(!) volumes.

##

Yakitate!! Japan, vol. 3
Published by: Viz Media
Writer & Artist: Takashi Hashiguchi

200 (188) pages.
Vintage: 2002. US edition January 2007
English Adaptation: Drew Williams
Translation: Noritaka Minami
Touch-up Art and Lettering: Steve Dutro
Cover Design: Yukiko Whitley
Editor: Kit Fox
Publisher’s Rating: Older Teen, ages 16+ (alcohol and tobacco use, crude humour, and mature situations)

Previously reviewed: Vols. 1 & 2
Rating: Upgraded, 3 out of 5

What’s Up:

Over-the-top bake offs, internal bakery-chain politics, foodie trivia and honest, likeable characters all pile on to make Yakitate one hell of a fun read.

I thought the gimmick would get old, but this just keeps getting better. Volume three follows up on the cliffhanger from two, the Pantasia Rookie Tournament: all the new hires are eligible, but the preliminary round seems impossible. Not surprisingly, our two heroes out of the the South Tokyo Branch, Kazuma and Kawachi, both qualify — but only after the competition severely tests their friendship.

Can rivalry coexist with friendship? Can the South Tokyo twosome still manage at the next stage of the Rookie Tournament? Can Bread continue to be this damn exciting for at least 19 more volumes?

When I can read a manga and just about taste the damn butter rolls, I’d have to say the answer is yes. It’s still a niche comic, but I’m going to recommend it to y’all anyway.

##

0/6 (Zero/Six), vol. 3
Published by: Netcomics
Writer & Artist: Youjung Lee

192 (176) pages.
Vintage: 1998. US edition June 2006
Translation: Jeanne
Graphic Design: Soohyun Park & Yeongsook Yi
Editor: Philip Daay
Publisher’s Rating: Ages 13+

Previously reviewed: Vols. 1 & 2
Rating: Still 3 out of 5

What’s Up:

Well, I’m running a little behind on this manhwa, since the 5th (and final) volume hit the streets a month ago, but I’m picking these up as I find them on the shelves at the local bookstores.

The end of volume two seemed like a shift for this comic, and the payoff (what there is of it) is here in volume three. Just two action sequences, often playing out in slow motion and with numerous character asides and flashbacks, make up a whole 160-some-odd pages here. It’s deep; a hell of a lot deeper than we’ve been led to believe, and almost completely out of sorts with the premise set up in volume one.

Perhaps I should have waited to review this series until I had read the whole thing. I’m even more confused now than I was at the end of #2, though Lee manages to tie up a couple of plot points before the end of the book. Actually, the way forward seems a lot clearer now, but the title is still fairly FUBAR at this point.

The action-and-conspiracy bit have completely overshadowed the clichéd high-school story, for which I guess I should be grateful but it leaves us without a frame of reference for all the weird events. It’s one thing to play with conventions, another entirely to take the usual and twist it to the point where you almost leave your readers behind.

Full marks to Lee for the effort, but I’m still not sure if all the story-sleight-of-hand is worth it, at least until I get another volume under my belt. Zero/Six is more of a thinking-man’s comic than I would have ever given it credit for, but is the confusion deliberate, or just a result of sloppy story telling?

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

Suzuka, Vol. 3
Published by: Del Rey Books
Writer & Artist: Kouji Seo

208 (190) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2004. US edition February 2007.
Translation & Adaptation: David Ury
Lettering: Janice Chiang
Publisher’s Rating: M, ages 18+

Previously Reviewed: Vols. 1 & 2
Rating: 3 out of 5

##

Premise: Yamato, an average schlub of a high school student, finds himself falling for Suzuka (she of the title, though not the one on this particular cover), a beautiful school track star.

[minor spoilers for vols. 1 & 2 follow]
Synopsis:

Let’s review: Yamato Akitsuki lives with his Aunt Ayano in Tokyo to be closer to the elite school he attends. His aunt owns a boarding-house-slash-day-spa, and it was girls-only until he shows up. In lieu of rent, he’s the facility’s general handyman. His next door neighbour is Suzuka Asahina, a fellow high school student, and he’s in luv! ♥ [*wink*]

At least he would be, if Suzuka hadn’t shot him down as recently as the end of volume two. And things had been going so well…

After a pep talk (of sorts) from his alcoholic college student neighbour, Yuuka Saotome, Yamato decides he’s not quite finished yet. In an attempt to be as close to Suzuka as he can, he decides to join the track team. Fortunately for him, it seems he may have some skill in this area, though of course compared to the regulars on the team he is grossly out of condition.

(The fact that this is stalker-ish behaviour is actually brought up and discussed by characters in the book)

Yamato isn’t giving up yet, though, and his steady improvement just seems to piss off Suzuka more. Add in Honoka Sakurai, the new team manager who signed up because she has a crush on Yamato, a few new teammates, a mystery trip to Yokohama on one of the team’s few days off, and things are slowly but steadily starting to build in this comic.

##

Review:

Everything I said about the art last time still applies: love the covers, like the artwork & character designs, still satisfied with the panel layout and pacing. Nothing stands out in this third volume (the quiet, intimate scenes between characters like those in volume two are missing), but with our leads experiencing doubt and growing a bit further apart, page by page, this shift is understandable.

As the story progresses, we see Suzuka the comic transition into something more like sports manga, though the focus is still on character and crushes as opposed to getting into the regionals or finals, while Suzuka the character becomes more of an enigma. Of course, since her feelings seem to be the hinge on which much of the plot depends, we should expect a little mystery.

Yamato, for his part, seems torn between doing well for his own sake, or doing well to impress Suzuka. My thought is as the current plot progresses, he may find something inside himself that transcends the crush he has for Suzuka, and that track (and personal goals) will eventually drive him as much as it has the object of his affections.

Of course, all our assumptions will change, as the reveal at the end of volume three casts all prior actions and motivations into a new light, and ends the volume with a minor cliffhanger much like the one at the end of volume two. (Full marks to Seo as a storyteller, the bastard, because I want to immediately pick up and read #4.)

This volume builds on the premise, backs off of the fan service a bit, and with this installment the series threatens to become really damn good on us if Seo isn’t careful. I’m giving this volume a 3 out of 5, and bumping up my rating of the series as a whole to match.

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

A couple of caveats for this week’s watch list: First, there seems to be a difference of opinion amongst the several sources as to whether some of the Tokyopop titles are releasing on the 27th, or if they won’t be seen until 13 March. That, and if it’s a Dark Horse comic, there’s no way to be sure of the release date until after you’ve read it. (if then)

My count shows 76 titles this week

Manga (& Manga-ish) Releases for 25 February to 3 March 2007

100% Perfect Girl, vol. 1 — Netcomics — $9.99
11th Cat, vol. 5 — Ice Kunion — $10.95
Akiko: The Story Tree — Sirius Entertainment — $14.95
Arm of Kannon, vol. 9 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Basilisk, vol. 4 — Del Rey — $13.95

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, vol. 7 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Berserk, vol. 15 — Dark Horse — $13.95
Black Knight, vol. 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Black Sun Silver Moon, vol. 1 — Go! Comi — $10.99
Blade of the Immortal, vol. 16 — Dark Horse — $16.95

Blazin’ Barrels, vol. 8 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Can’t Lose You, vol. 5 — Netcomics — $9.99
Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword, vol. 1 — DrMaster — $19.95
Disgaea 2, vol. 1 — Broccoli Books — $9.99
Eden: It’s an Endless World, vol 6 — Dark Horse — $12.95

Elemental Gelade, vol. 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Empty Empire, vol. 3 — CMX — $9.99
ES: Eternal Sabbath, vol. 4 — Del Rey — $10.95
Galaxy Angel Party, vo. 2 — Broccoli Books — $9.99
Gatcha Gatcha, vol. 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99

Girls Bravo, vol. 7 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Gunsmith Cats Omnibus — Dark Horse — $16.95
How Not to Draw Manga, Pocket Manga Edition — Antarctic Press — $14.95
How to Draw Manga: Sketching Style — Graphic-Sha — $24.99
Innocent Bird — Tokyopop — $9.99

Jazz, vol. 4 — DMP — $12.95
June, vol. 2 — Netcomics — $9.99
Kedamono Damono, vol. 1 — Tokyopop — $9.99
King of Hell, vol. 15 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Kizuna: Bonds of Love, vol. 7 — Be Beautiful — $15.99

Last Fantasy, vol. 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Legend, vol. 2 — Ice Kunion — $10.95
Let There Be Lighten Up! Goofyfoot Gurl, vol. 1 — Barbour Publishing — $4.97
LIFE, Vol. 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Life! Camera! Action! Book 1: Space Cadet Vs. Drama Queen/The Terror from the Tarantula Nebula — Barbour Publishing — $4.97

Love Mode, vol. 5 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Love Roma, vol. 5 — Del Rey — $10.95
Mail, vol. 3 — Dark Horse — $10.95
Mamotte! Lollipop, vol. 1 — Del Rey — $10.95
Man who Doesn’t Take Off His Clothes, vol. 2 — DMP — $8.95

Metamo Kiss, Vol. 1 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED x ASTRAY, vol. 2 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Mobile Suit Gundam Ecole Du Ciel, vol. 5 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Moon and Sandals, vol. 1 — DMP — $12.95
My-Hime, vol. 2 — Tokyopop — $9.99

Negima! vol. 13 — Del Rey — $10.95
Never Give Up, Vol. 4 — Tokyopop — $9.99
NHS (Ninja High School) Hawaii, vol. 3 — Antarctic Press — $14.95
Oh My Goddess! vol. 25 — Dark Horse — $10.95
Oh My Goddess! (2nd edition) vol. 5 — Dark Horse — $10.95

Old Boy, vol. 4 — Dark Horse — $12.95
One Thousand and One Nights, vol. 4 — Ice Kunion — $10.95
Orion, 2nd Edition — Dark Horse — $17.95
Path of the Assassin, vol. 5 — Dark Horse — $9.95
Peppermint, vol. 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99

Phoenix, Vol. 10 — Viz Media — $15.99
Princess Princess, vol. 2 — DMP — $12.95
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea — Drawn & Quarterly — $14.95
Queens, vol. 2 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Rave Master, vol. 23 — Tokyopop — $9.99

Recast, vol. 2 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Redrum Threetwentyseven, vol. 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Rose Hip Zero, vol. 2 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Roureville, vol. 1 — Netcomics — $9.99
Rure, vol. 1 — Tokyopop — $9.99

Satisfaction Guaranteed, vol. 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Shaman Warrior, vol. 2 — Dark Horse — $12.95
So You Want to Be a Manga Artist — Nicole Pelham (self-published via lulu.com, isbn 0615135587) — $19.95
Strawberry Marshmellow, vol. 3 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Suzuka, vol. 3 — Del Rey — $13.95

Threads of Time, vol. 9 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Tomb Raider, vol. 3 — Bandai — $9.99
Trinity Blood, vol. 2 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase, vol. 6 — Tokyopop — $9.99
Wagamama Kitchen — DMP — $12.95

Young Magician, vol. 7 — CMX — $9.99

##

My copy of Negima is already on order, and has been since 2006. (It’s a guilty pleasure.) I know I’m picking up Recast #2 and Suzuka #3, and am keenly interested in Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea from Drawn & Quarterly, even though the first I heard of it was in compiling this list. (It looks like Amazon has some peeks inside, for the curious.) There are also a few how-to’s on this week’s list as well, for those with the itch to create.

Past the 4 titles mentioned above, I’m not sure what I’ll be picking up. I’ll do a little research on the manhwa from both Netcomics and Ice Kunion, but nothing jumps out at me just looking at the titles alone.

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

O-Parts Hunter, Vols. 1 & 2
Published by: Viz Media
Writer & Artist: Seishi Kishimoto

Page counts: 192 each (364 net)
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2002. US editions December 2006 & February 2007.
Translation & Adaptation: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
Touch-up Art & Lettering: Gia Cam Luc
Design: Amy Martin
Editor: Kit Fox
Publisher’s Rating: Older Teen, Ages 16+ (realistic and fantasy violence, and adult situations)

Rating: 2 out of 5

##

Premise: Cute teen archaeologist and her tag-along wildboy bodyguard scour the ruins across a continent in search of the dragonballs O-parts, relics of a lost civilization.

Synopsis:

O-parts utilize the spiritual energy of compatible humans (O-parts Technicians, or OPTs) to produce sometimes spectacular effects. Some are as small as rings or bracelets, others as big as tanks or battleships. Most are weapons of one flavour or another.

Ruby Crescent, daughter of the noted archaeologist Professor Crescent, is carrying on her father’s life work: finding O-parts. Her dream is to find an O-part with legendary powers and unbelievable effects.

During a recent quest (and it seems to be one of her very first outings on her own) she runs into trouble but is saved by the timely intervention of Jio, a young lone-wolf type who, when he isn’t being an ass, alternates with being a jerk. Occasionally he’ll change out and just be a goof. He’s also handy to have in fight, and he has this cloth-yard boomerang that can slice through stuff if he throws it hard enough.

After a rocky start the two become friends, though to shelter his fragile male ego, Jio insists on the fiction that he’s just hanging around with Ruby because he’s employed as her bodyguard.

After we settle into concept, character, and a fair piece of exposition, the first book launches us into adventure, as our duo stumbles into the Thorn Ruin, and where they have an adventure that takes a twist or two but wraps up in 100 pages.

At the start of the second volume, we’re treated to a chapter showing us the opposing side, as the forces of the Seta Government take down a couple of OPTs who have commandeered a tank-like O-part. Immediately after, we’re treated to more of Jio’s origin story, showing the boy meeting his master Zero, and (after the whole training thing) the circumstances under which he left. Then it’s back to the original narrative line, with Ruby and Jio making there way to Entotsu City to rest and re-supply… though things at Entotsu will be nothing like they expect.

##

Review:

If you were skimming the credits and not paying attention, you might see the name Kishimoto and think, “Oh, Cool! Is this the manga he drew before Naruto or something?” And of course, the answer is no.

Big brother Mashashi Kishimoto draws Naruto, his slightly younger twin Seishi is also a manga artist, and O-parts is his first long-running manga. There are some similarities in style, which is only to be expected since the two grew up drawing manga together.

Twin manga artists. It’s almost like a manga plot, except they would have to fall in love with the same girl, and while one goes on to fame and fortune the other marries the girl and has a kid and a boring-normal-happy life, and each feels resentment and jealousy for the “good luck” of the other, which simmers for years until the child, now a plucky 15 year old aspiring manga artist herself, is faced with the sudden death of her parents and…

And I need to stop giving away plots for free. That or get back to the review…

…O-Parts Hunter, or as the original Japanese title would have it “666 Satan”. For you see, something evil lives inside the young lad, and when it comes out, all hell breaks loose. It’s this little wrinkle that earns the book it’s 16+ rating, because things can get a little raw and bloody. This darker subplot stands in contrast to the main story, in that the search for artefacts and the cartoon-like duels and fights with giant monsters might make this seem like a kid-favourite boy’s comic. (Kid-favourite, not kid-friendly; Mom probably wouldn’t like even the “fantasy” violence.)

The art is fine for what it is, though it lacks a little polish and care. Screen tones are used sparingly, and often just for large overlays of grey across an entire panel. Kishimoto uses a lot of black-and-white, without much in the way of hand-drawn shading either. The inkwork is good, and Kishimoto isn’t afraid of black, but it’s all high-contrast stuff. I have no way of knowing for sure, but it seems like the art style is used as a matter of speed & convenience: once he’s inked over his pencils and done a couple of large fills, he’s done. Or it could be a conscious artistic choice. It works for the book and story presented, so no complaints.

Volume 3 releases in April. If you were looking for a series to read while waiting for that other Ninja comic to come out, then O-Parts Hunter might be the manga you were looking for.

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

To Terra, vol. 1
Published by: Vertical
Writer & Artist: Keiko Takemiya

344 (338) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: Original series 1977-80. US edition February 2007.
Translation: Dawn T. Laabs
Production: Hiroko Mizuno & Shinobu Sato
Cover Design: Chip Kidd
Publisher’s Rating: None given. Like many publishers, I’ll err on the side of caution and say 13+

Rating: 4 out of 5

##

Premise: A bit of Logan’s Run, a bit of The Tomorrow People, and a whole heaping helping of space opera played out 3000 years in our future.

Synopsis:

The first ‘book’ tracks 14 year old Jomy Marcus Shin on the verge of adulthood — maybe a bit before or a bit after, but around the time of their 14th birthday, all teens will be summoned by Universal Control for their Awakening, when they leave their foster parents and the life they knew to become adults — or at least to start their final training.

Not all teens get approved. There are mental stability tests, and tests for ESP powers.

Well, maybe you can guess the next twist: Jomy is one of the “Mu”, a mutant strain of humanity with psychic abilities. Not that Jomy seems to have a power he can control, but he has the potential…

After Jomy’s saga, we change tracks, gears, and venue and the story follows Keith Anyan, a young human who has been Awakened and is now undergoing training on a space station to become one of Terra’s Elite. (as the name implies, they’re the folks who run things.) Keith has a rival, Shiroe, a new student with remarkable skills but a bit of an axe to grind. Shiroe’s constant questioning begins to chip away at Keith’s perfect façade , but it is only after these two character’s stories—Jomy’s and Keith’s—start to collide that the real plot begins to thicken.

##

Review:

If you’re the sort of person who follows these things, there was a bit of an internet controversy (translation: argument over nothing) regarding how To Terra was being classified and marketed. There was some early buzz that this was a sci-fi “girls” comic, and of course any number of online pundits decided to weigh in with their “learned, considered” opinion that the manga was nothing of the sort, while others would defend the categorisation, and it devolved as things on the net usually do to the point where the issue being argued is no longer applicable to the original circumstances. It’s immaterial, but here, have some.

However we’d care to class the manga, it’s rather decidedly scifi, and also worth reading.

The vintage is 1977. (That’s the same year Star Wars came out, which is just a bit of a coincidence, because there’s nothing Star Wars-ish to be found here, but I mention it to put To Terra into historical context.) So the art is definitely Old School, and reminds me of Leiji Matsumoto [wiki] in the character designs and the space setting. (You know, if one has to be derivative, there aren’t all that many better role models to pick.)

This isn’t a bang-pow space opera with corruscating lasers, noble-savage aliens from a warrior culture, and handy damsels to be in distress as the story needs them. This is going to be a bit more work for your average reader.

It’s a dystopian future (in keeping with other 70s scifi) with an earth that is a polluted, burnt-out mess and a number of space colonies that are just barely hanging on. Life (human life) isn’t making much of a go of it, and only careful management is keeping Terra alive — though so far my take on it (we haven’t actually seen Terra yet, and with the way this series is set up, we may never) is that Earth is a giant park, set up for conservation purposes but not actually a part of society as a whole.

It’s a bleak future, but that makes the light of our characters burn that much brighter in the surrounding dark. It’s rare that I find a scifi comic worth recommending as a comic, let alone as scifi, but here in To Terra it seems we have both. 4 marks out of 5, with a lot of potential for future releases — A series to watch, and to read.

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

Roadsong, Vols. 1 & 2
Published by: Tokyopop
Writer: Allan Gross
Artist: Joanna Estep

Page Counts: 200 & 192 (354 net)
Original Language: English
Orientation: Left to right
Vintage: January 2006 & January 2007.
Retouch & Lettering: Fawn Lau (1) and Kimie Kim (2)
Production Artist: Bowen Park (1)
Cover Artist: Joanna Estep
Cover Design (1) and Graphic Design (2): Al-Insan Lashley
Copy Editor: Stephanie Duchin (2)
Editor: Lillian Diaz-Przybyl
Publisher’s Rating: Older Teen, ages 16+

Rating: 3 out of 5

##

Premise: It’s a buddy movie. cue 80s TV Voice-over Framed for a crime they didn’t commit, two young musical geniuses take it on the lam to evade both the cops and the real criminals, trying to clear the names of themselves and their family, while writing and playing some kicking tunes, yo.

[some minor spoilers follow]
Synopsis:

Monty McBride plays guitar and baseball. He’s a fair hand at either, and has a real knack for writing a song hook.

Simon Smallwood is a virtuoso violin player, at home playing just about any genre of music — though he’s a bit inexperienced and uncomfortable with anything else.

Simon’s sister is marrying Monty’s brother. She asks Simon and Monty to play a little something for the wedding, since they’re both fair musicians. And they do– despite the tension between the two, and the fact that they hardly know each other, the pair not only write an original song overnight, they end up as a hit at the wedding reception. Not the biggest bang of the night, however…

Someone put a bomb on the yacht where the wedding and reception were held. The only survivor is Monty’s dad, currently hospitalized, and the two boys. The cops consider all three to be suspects.

Not having any options, and having overheard something they really shouldn’t have, the boys hastily decide to take the act on the road. Neither was planning on an extended trip on such short notice, however, so now they have to sing for their supper. They take whatever gigs they can find: a college party, a strip club, a country-western bar…

Actually, in volume two, the Nashville angle is the major plot point. That and a love triangle involving Simon, Monty, and Penny Blue — the cutest little front woman for a bar band you could ask for, even if she does sing a bit flat. There’s a record contract in play, and dreams of fame and enough fortune to hire a really good attorney, but it’s all a wash in the end. By the end of volume two, the kids are still on the run, still making music on the road, but are now actively looking for clues to solve the mystery themselves before they get arrested or killed.

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Review:

Writer Gross could recycle the plot for volume two a few times over before we get sick of it, actually. The two leads show up at a town, have a regionally-themed adventure that involves a temporary falling out, a bit of a romantic interest for one or both, a little musical side plot, and a reset (back on the run, headed for the next town and next adventure) by the end of the book. I’m not saying he could do it forever, but there is some potential with these two main characters; if they’re playing, I’ll have a seat and listen for a spell.

The “music” in these two volumes is lyrics only (obviously) but if you have a bit of an ear for it and know the genres they allude to, it’s pretty hard not to hear the songs in your head. Gross made a good choice with Country music as his first major outing (after the initial volume sets up the story) because a song about a heartbreak or a cheatin’ woman plays really well even without the music.

The setup is just an excuse to throw these two guys together, though. Neither one is the “good” guy or the lead. They each have their strong points and weaknesses, and they play to each other well. I’m not saying it’s Shakespeare, but the resemblance to a 40s era Hope-and-Crosby Road movie or an 80s era buddy-mystery-drama-comedy is worth noting.

So enough about the writing and that Gross guy: Artist Estep is certainly taking a few cues from manga, but her style is her own. I’m reminded of another American a Canadian artist, Svetlana Chmakova, in that each is influenced by manga, but still drawing her own path. (and one might note that they share a publisher and an editor)

It’s not Nodame Cantabile, by any stretch; it’s an American version of the same sort of artistic struggle, only with guns and exploding yachts and interstate fugitives. I think fans of one might find something to enjoy in the other, however. 3 out of 5.

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

Because I’m the Goddess, Vols. 1 & 2
Published by: Tokyopop
Writer & Artist: Shamneko

Page Counts: 176 each (326 net)
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2003-2004. US edition August & December 2006.
Translation: Mike Kiefl (1) & Jihae Hong (2)
Adaptation: Jamie S. Rich
Copy Editor: Hope Donovan (1)
Retouch & Lettering: Erika “Skooter” Terriquez (1) & Michael Paolilli (2)
Graphic Design (1) & Cover Design (2): Jose Macasocol, Jr.
Editor: Rob Valois (1) & Louis Reyes (2)
Publisher’s Rating: Older Teen, Ages 16+

Rating: 1 out of 5

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Premise: She’s the Goddess. Pandora is sent to down to Earth to reclaim various Gifts, which when they encounter a compatible human soul warp and twist those poor girls into something just a shade evil.

Synopsis:

Pandora can’t do it on her own, because when she uses her Godly powers, it drains her from a busty double-D vixen down to a cute grade schooler. This might be seen as a disadvantage, but honestly, she barely has enough brain power for a grade schooler anyway. If you’ll forgive me for the reference: Phenomenal cosmic power, itty bitty thinking space.

Her way to recharge is to kiss her put-upon companion & default lackey, Aoi. Here’s the thing: as a full grown Goddess, it seems all men are in thrall to Pandora’s beauty. Except Aoi. But when she’s power-drained and all cute looking, Aoi has an instinctive reaction to protect the little girl.

Their relationship is all kinds of weird, even for manga. Throw in a odd S&M vibe and this is almost too much to take.

Oh, didn’t I mention? The girls possessed by Gifts have near god-like powers, but they are only expressed through the poor men they hold in thrall. The book actually uses the term “slave”. And the spirit of the slaves are drawn out so their Gift-possessed-girlfriends can transform them into weapons to fight Pandora. Of course, poor Aoi is subject to the same deal, as Pandora makes use of his spirit to defeat and collect the Gifts.

The plot, such as it is, deals with the aftermath of Pandora using her powers carelessly (like, say, calling a tsunami down just to prove she has power) while slowly building up a “family” of sorts as our protagonists: So far there is Pandora, Aoi, Maya (a effeminate young monk who is often mistaken for a girl), “Auntie” (who runs a Sweets shop and gives the wanderers a place to live), and Suzu (”Auntie”’s “niece”, a girl from the neighbourhood with a bit of a faces-of-Eve thing going on) — not to mention Matsuyki, AKA Mattsun, the creepy talking cat-like thing.

The individual chapters either: 1) show the growing bond between Aoi and Pandora, 2) relate a duel where Pandora severs the bond and collects a Gift from one of the human hosts, or 3) build on the larger plot of how the Ibara family is somehow related to the Gifts, and is working to get Aoi back from Pandora. Or all three at once.

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Review:

This title deals with so many stereotypes of manga it’s hard to know where to begin. Main character with a childlike naïveté but also an impressive bustline and a skimpy wardrobe? Check. Main character who is a young girl, wearing cute outfits and playing up the whole little-sister-complex that makes my skin crawl a little? check. The twist here (and I bet Shamneko and his editor are still patting themselves on the back for thinking of it) is that those are two aspects of the same girl. Or goddess, in this case.

Main character who likes our dumpy generic manga hero for no specific reason? Check. Villains who do the same? Check.

So much here is recycled and overdone, it’s no wonder the best character is the creepy-looking, chain-smoking drag queen cat. (actually, the cat-thing is genderless, however since the author mentions that Mattsun was written using the speech patterns of a drag queen…)

Available evidence is pointing to this being just a 3 volume series, so I’m guessing in volume three (which should release from Tokyopop this April) the plot, such as it is, will wrap up into some sort of happy ending. If it really is just one more volume, maybe I’ll try to read it on a lunch break, but I’m not sure that I’ll buy it. 1 mark out of 5.

originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com [Dec ’06 – May ’08]

Read or Die, Vols. 2-4 (of 4)
Published by: Viz Media
Writer: Hideyuki Kurata
Artist: Shutaro Yamada

Page Counts: 224, 216, & 216 pages (632 net)
Vintage: 2000. US editions May, July, and September 2006.
English Translation & Adaptation: Steve Ballati
Touch-up Art & Lettering: Mark McMurray
Cover & Graphic Design: Janet Piercy (vol. 2), Izumi Hirayama (vols. 3 & 4)
Editors: Urian Brown (vols. 2 & 3 ), Shaenon K. Garrity (vols. 3 & 4)
Publishers Rating: Older Teen

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Premise: World’s most bookish superhero-slash-secret-agent saves the world from her enemies, her allies, and shadows from her past.

Synopsis:

Yomiko loves books. She really loves books. She is a Paper Master, one of those with the ability to manipulate paper into tools, shields, & weapons.

Yomiko Readman, aka “the Paper”, is a sometimes substitute teacher who also works as an agent of the British Library– which is not only a collection of rare and wonderful books, but also a top tier covert special ops organization. (who knew?)

Volume one was written as a stand-alone, but must have been successful; with the go-ahead from publisher and editors, Kurata and Yamada embark on a 3-volume storyline that will tear their heroine all the way down to a weepy dispirited mess before she finds the will to fight again, in a conflict that pits good against evil against books.

In Volume 2, Yomiko is preparing for her next mission (blowing the advance on more books) when she receives a mysterious letter from Donnie Nakajima, her old mentor and boyfriend. Her dead boyfriend. The letter has some mysterious, foreboding, and vague warnings about her next assignment for the Library of England. Yomiko is sent undercover as a teacher to the Manchu Academy, an ultra elite school for the kids of political and corporate power brokers. Already there is agent-in-training Wendy, who has been doing some preliminary investigations, and their handler Joker, who is camped outside the campus grounds ready to provide backup or additional direction, as the situation merits.

Things are little weird at this school. Well, not weird by manga standards — The students are split into two levels: the A-level students get the best facilities and special training, and the B-level students get beat up. The A-levels also seem to be acquiring special powers, at least on par with those of Yomiko. By the end of the volume we also see the return of Nenene, who has transferred to Manshu to be with her favourite teacher, and fresh from the OVA and a sightseeing tour of Japan, everyone’s favourite dryly-sarcastic mercenary, Drake Anderson.

Volume 3 picks up with the A-levels bringing even more pain to the B’s. I mean, last volume the B-level school building was destroyed in some pretty freaky circumstances, and they had to relocate to the soon-to-be-condemned old school, but now things are getting even more personal. Yomiko, who had been championing the cause of the B-level students is starting to crack as her past life catches up to her, and Yomiko and Wendy’s mission seems to have stalled to the point where it’s irrecoverable.

But we have to wait for a resolution there, because right as we hit a dramatic plot point, bam, time for 100 pages of flashbacks and filler back-story. It’s good stuff, so I won’t complain too much.

When we get back to the present-day time line, Yomiko has been tossed aside like a used Kleenex, the evil guy is winning, and an eldrich book-themed horror is rising up out of the depths. And it’s hungry. Drake, Wendy, and Nenene are left to rally the students for a last stand while Yomiko is busy being catatonic.

…and into the final volume! Numerous power duels take place as all around them, hell is packed neatly into a picnic-sized handbasket and the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. Ultimate Power with a side of Immortality is just to hand (in the form of a book, natch) and it seems that everyone who isn’t merely trying to survive the carnage is making a play for the prize. Allegiances get called into question (again) and long simmering motives come to light. The ending is not unexpected, but the twists and reveals before the final showdown keep things moving, and a few characters will almost certainly surprise you.

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Review:

Whoosh. Trying to boil 600 pages into 600 words doesn’t quite do the work justice, and the synopsis reminds me of just what a wild ride it was.

Here we have a mix of action, emotion, and the bonds between characters that is done well. If we wanted to nitpick, yes, a lot of it is over-the-top, but I think every now and then a little action-spiked melodrama is a nice change of pace. If this series were to be continued, Kurata would have to dial way back on the apocalypt-o-meter, and try to find a conflict that didn’t necessitate an end of the world ending. Or he could change gears entirely and do something like Read or Dream, which he did.

However, as a stand alone miniseries this is pretty damn good. (and at just 4 bucks the price is right: I’ll echo Bob’s sentiments and ask all creators to at least consider doing one project that is scheduled to end within a single calendar year, and not always an epic saga that will cost me $295 bucks to finish.)

If you want an idea of the art, pick up a copy and flip through it. Panel layouts are dynamic, with a lot of cinematic flair, good use of close-ups, changing perspective, speed lines, and paper trails to illustrate the action.

Not a perfect series, but a very good one. 4 out of 5.