Category: Manga

By David Hine & Hans Steinbach (TokyoPop)
ISBN: 978-1-4278-0080-0

Here’s a taut Sci-Fi thriller in the manner of Scanners from the English speaking end of the manga world. Young Sam Chance has most of the usual teenager’s problems but that all changes when he starts having nosebleeds and manifesting terrifying psychic powers. When doctors examine him he is found to be the latest victim of SKAR: South Korean Adolescent Retrovirus. There is no cure.

And then his life gets really weird. Whilst coming to terms with his imminent death his family is approached by the world’s richest computer games manufacturer with a solution; to cryogenically preserve him for two tears until the cure he’s working on is perfected. It seems like the perfect – if drastic – answer.

So why then is the Government prepared to assassinate every one who knows him and even shoot down the plane he’s travelling on? Despite all such efforts Sam escapes and nervously submits to the freezing process, bitterly regretting the two years he’ll be separated from his girlfriend. A century later he opens his eyes…

And that’s where this volume ends: a sharp and quirky tale that promises much to come and a few new twists to this fan-favourite theme of teen psychic super soldiers. Keep watching…

© 2007 David Hine and TOKYOPOP Inc. All Rights Reserved. POISON CANDY is ™ TOKYOPOP Inc.

By Barbara Randall Kesel, Heidi Arnhold & Max Kim (TOKYOPOP)
ISBN: 978-1-59816-701-6

The manga movement gains more ground with this wonderful prequel to the classic fantasy movie as Barbara Randall Kesel scripts a gripping and emotive story of oppression and defiance on a far-flung world.

Gelflings are passive, gentle folk; farmers and artisans in a world lacking technology. The real power players are the philosophical Mystics and their depraved and evil counterparts, the Skeksis. Whilst the former are solitary isolationists, the monstrous Skeksis are power-hungry and use the life essence of the Gelflings to extend their own lives.

This story starts as the herder and musician Lahr discovers the giant Garthim are raiding again, taking Gelflings for the Skeksis to consume. Too late to save his own village, he stumbles across Neffi, whose village was also raided by the lobster-like plunderers. The desolates pair up and find another Gelfling village, hidden deep in a ravine.

They are in time to warn them but become embroiled in a deadly debate. Should the Gelflings stay hidden and hope to evade the relentless ravagers or should they abandon everything and run, in the hope of finding some new refuge? Is there another option? Can these gentle creatures learn to fight back in time to save their race?

Enthralling in both script and artwork, this is a quality fantasy tale, that won’t disappoint genre addicts or fans of the original film.

© 1982, 2007 The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved. The Dark Crystal is a trademark of The Jim Henson Company.

By Da-Mi Seomoon (TOKYOPOP)
ISBN: 978-1-59816-834-1

This top-notch fantasy tale is the story of two half-sisters whose already unconventional life takes an outlandish and possibly deadly turn…

Ha-Ru is a real golden child, popular, easygoing, good at sports but her sister Mi-Ru is darkly sullen and withdrawn. Ha-Ru also has the ability to see spirits and supernatural creatures, but she keeps that a secret from her fellow students. She is breezing through school when she is summoned home for a mysterious ceremony. Taking her close friends Dong-Uk Lee and Joon-Hee, she and Mi-Ru travel to ‘The Last Island’ to reveal that she is in fact the heir of the family which owns the island and everything on it.

This matriarchal nation reveres Ha-Ru, practically worshipping her, but when a faction of the ruling family try to manipulate Mi-Ru into usurping control the bitter girl runs away, attempting to throw herself off a cliff. Ha-Ru gives chase but only catches her as they plunge towards the sea…

They wake up on an alien world, a feudal desert with three moons, and dragons, and rough warriors who think nothing of making slaves of any strangers they find…

This is an above average fantasy tale, with more texture than the norm, some solid laughs to balance the action and genuinely interesting plot threads. Da-Mi Seomoon’s art is stylish and innovative, especially the photo-collage pages, and the characters are well-rounded. The volume does end on a cliff-hanger though, so you’ll probably want to have the next one handy before you start.

© 2003 Da-Mi Seomoon, HAKSAN Publishing Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
English text © 2007 TOKYOPOP Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Wing Shing Ma (DrMaster Publications)
ISBN 13: 978-1-59796-041-0

Unbelievable as it may sound the action kicks into even higher gear in this follow-up collection of martial arts comics in the classic Hong Kong Style. Hero Hua is the latest of his family line tasked with protecting the mystical Blood Sword from the varied forces of evil that want to possess it. With a huge support network of Kung Fu “goodies” to offset the brutal losses to his own family – all tragic victims of the never-ending battle – he thwarts every attempt by such villains as Heart Demon and General Satan to obtain the artefact.

This series is a truly generational saga that spans many lands and many years. After a climactic confrontation Hero Hua goes to America and the focus switches to the son he thought lost. Jian Xiong has been raised in secret and isolation by his grandfather to protect him from enemies. Many years pass, and the child grows into a wayward but good-hearted fifteen-year-old in a desolate fishing village. But one day his life changes forever when the island is invaded by the fearsome hordes of the Death Gate, a martial arts cult looking for the next Young Master, who is their destined leader…

Another magnificent campaign of battles and duels ensues before order is restored, but by the end Jian has triumphed and himself travelled to the United States. Can a meeting with his father be far away? You’ll need to read volume III for that answer.

Crafted in a variety of artistic styles including pen-and-ink, crayon, painted art, even photography, this is an exotic and frenetic comic about fighting, heavily influenced by the mystical component of Kung Fu. If you prefer a semblance of realism in your fiction this rollercoaster romp is not for you. This is Fighting Fantasy.

Superhero fans might be amazed at the variety of powers a lifetime of knuckle push-ups and bowing can produce, but this is a style of comic that is wedded to the concept of training and will creating miracles. It is however, irresistibly exuberant, beautifully illustrated and endlessly compelling. If you’re an open-minded fan, you may find yourself carried away on this relentless tide of shallow characterisation and non-stop action.

© 2007 Yasushi Suzuki. © 2007 DGN Production Inc.

By Morim Kang (Net comics)
ISBN 13: 978-1-60009-183-4

Some stories are great because of their innovation and novelty, whilst others just tell the same old tale over and over. When these latter tales succeed it’s solely because of the nuance, skill and artistry with which the commonplace has been shaped to feel fresh and new.

10, 20, And 30 is an evergreen saga of women and the search for love, tenderly observed, pragmatically and humorously told. Rok Nah is a young teenaged girl (a “10-Something”) going through those difficult years. She has boyfriend – sort of – but is obsessed with all the other confusions of growing up to deal with.

Her mother Krumb Yoon (“30-Something”) is a widow with a thankless job at a fashion company. Recently though, the company boss has been taking an inappropriate (but chaste) interest in her. The “20” part of the equation is Krumb’s niece Belle Woo who has become like an older sister to Rok since her parents have all but disowned her for having sex and refusing to get married. As the totally different, yet painfully similar, problems of love confront the three heroines, their natures and unique responses make for an entrancing and addictive read.

Although a standard soap-opera romance in conception, the light treatment and strong characterisations give this Manhwa (manga style comics produced in and for South Korea) a compelling edge that might win it fans across not just the age but also the gender divide…

© 1998 Morim Kang. All Rights Reserved.
English text © 2007 NETCOMICS. All Rights Reserved.

By Yo Yo (Tokyopop)
ISBN 978-1-905239-60-3

This is a light quirky fairy tale for adults, which blends traditional fantasy elements with modern artefacts and idiom to tell short gag tales. Narrated by a chain-smoking cat in leather boots, it details the sad-sack exploits of cute but uninspiring witch Laya, and the growing coteries of extraordinary friends who come to stay with her in her capacious house in the wild woods.

The creative anachronism and willingness to meddle with both context and the fourth wall might bewilder some readers, but generally the fun and frolics centre around the kind of problems teenaged girls fret about, such as boys, shopping, friends and social or family approval. My old soul wants to call this a very “girly” book but that’s not meant in an accusative or prejudicial way.

There’s fun and meat here but Laya isn’t about depth or challenge, so if you can’t just go with the flow or need a certain amount of tension in your entertainment, you might want to look elsewhere, and parents might want to screen this before letting younger kids at it

Jolly and competent, but not to every fan’s taste.

© 2001 Yo Yo, DAIWON C.I. Inc. English text © 2006 TOKYOPOP Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Jae-Hwan Kim (TOKYOPOP)
ISBN: 978-1-4278-0188-3

This visually impressive if traditional sci-fi action thriller from the Korean end of the manga world is set in a post-apocalyptic future. 2504 AD: Genetic engineering has created a society where people are second class citizens, playthings of the hybridized animal/human ‘Beasterians’, bred to be our warriors but now occupying the top of the evolutionary food-chain.

This semi-feudal world is a battleground for rival hybrid clans, and humanity is poised to join the Dodo, but there is still The Prophecy. The Post-Testament Bible offers the slim hope of salvation for Mankind, and the militant arm of The Church has its own hybrid super-warriors, known as Angels.

When the Holy Mother – destined to be the mother of the new Messiah – is abducted by the Overlord Tyron’s unstoppable third-generation hybrids, a ragtag band of Angels must retrieve her at all costs…

This is nothing new, and older manga fans might recognise a lot of Buronson and Hara Tetsuo’s ‘Fist of the North Star’ in this fast and furious battle extravaganza, but they probably won’t care. This is the kind of plot-light, adrenaline-party blockbuster that guys drag girls to every summer, and on those disposable terms it excels. Exciting, excessive, entertaining eye-candy.

© 2007 Jae-Hwan Kim and TOKYOPOP Inc. All Rights Reserved.

By Yutaka Tachibana (Tokyopop)
ISBN: 1-59816-153-9

This barbed high-school rom-com expands on the traditional romantic triangle by adding a fourth to the mix. Yuri Muroi is a cute young girl but has a chequered past. She’s sweet but a bit of a slut, and most of her previous boyfriends have been pretty bad boys.

Then she is noticed by the beautiful, but dangerously wild, Motoko Kagurazaka. She is the terror of the school and lives to shock and make trouble. Frightened and flattered, Yuri becomes as much a toy as a friend to Motoko.

Takahiro Yabe is the baddest boy in school and Yuri really wants him. He also seems to like her, but he seems to think of her a kid. This thug in waiting apparently only has eyes for Motoko, who is happy to keep everybody guessing.

By contrast Hirao is the perfect student, good-looking (of course), studious, responsible, and president of the Student Council. He is respected by all and has a spotless reputation. So why is he drawn to the “damaged goods” troublemaker Yuri?

Departing from many Shojo manga norms this compulsive modern romance is funny and sharp; a delight for the reader in search of a more mature story of young love. The early chapters, however, might be a little confusing until one gets comfortable with the major characters as well as the innumerable second stringers that populate the school.

This series is compelling reading, humorous but tinged with pathos, and harbouring a genuine potential for tragedy as well as the traditionally expected “happy ever after”.

© 2001 Yutaka Tachibana. English script © 2006 TokyoPop Inc.

By Ki-Hoon Lee & Seung-Yup Cho (TOKYOPOP)
ISBN: 978-1-59816-770-2

Sometimes you just feel the need to say “F**k Art, Let’s Dance”.

Phantom has no overweening redeeming social agenda, no subtle interplay or illuminating subtext. It is, though, an old-fashioned, heavy metal-manga shoot-’em-up, executed with superb aplomb.

Neo Seoul, after the Age of Nations has passed. After the “Meteo Rain” devastated the world, corporations took over society, wielding absolute executive power in a high tech world built by the lowest bidder. It is efficient, oppressive and dystopic. But the human spirit is never content to be suppressed.

‘K’ is a cop, a hot-shot mecha-pilot, who drives a robot battle-suit for The City. But when his day-to-day skirmishes with “terrorists” open his eyes to the true nature of bosses, he is primed for a moral epiphany. But we’ll never know how he might have reacted, because his superiors chose to cut their losses by “firing” him, though not before torturing him and his girlfriend Yura.

Rescued by the Freedom Fighters, Yura is caught in crossfire and terminally injured. After massive surgery, she lives only due to technology. But the life-support tech is expensive and freedom isn’t free.

K might have turned into an idealist and rebel. He’s piloting an AI mecha for the opposition now. But as they’re charging him for Yura’s care, he’s billing them for every mission…

This is a splendid slice of all-out, high-tech action hokum. It is a cynical, sardonic, high-octane thriller: fast and furious, lightning-paced and wonderfully well drawn. Load up, strap in and gun your fun-throttles. Weak-kneed sissies need not apply. Yeee-Hahh!

© 2004 Ki-Hoon Lee, Seung-Yup Cho, and DAIWON C.I. Inc.
English text © 2007 TOKYOPOP Inc.

By Yayoi Ogawa (Tokyopop)
ISBN 1-59532-140-3

The exploration of modern relationships continues to oh, so slowly unfold in the second volume of Yayoi Ogawa’s beguiling modern romance. Sumire Iwaya is a thoroughly modern woman, a hard-bitten, hard-headed journalist, who can’t allow her softer side to weaken the armour she uses to survive in the male-dominated workplace.

Her romantic life is still complex. There is a man, a fellow journalist and he seems perfect. But somehow Sumire just can’t be herself with him. At least she still has her best friend to confide in, and the unconditional love of her dog Momo.

But is Momo’s love still uncomplicated and unconditional? After all, he’s not a real dog. He’s actually a rather beautiful young man she found living in a dumpster. He seems to be a complete innocent, vital, energetic and without guile – or manners. So she adopts him; feeding, cleaning and training him in return for companionship, warmth and the kind of love that only an animal can provide.

But Momo, a talented, if flaky, dancer is human, and Only Human. Isn’t it impossible for his innocent adoration not too deepen into something stronger, perhaps more selfish? Sumire feels the pressure too, occasionally, but she’s still got more urgent issues to deal with first, such as whether to finally have sex with her current- and unbelievably patient – boy-friend, and what to do with her ‘ex’ now that he’s squirmed back into the picture…

This sophisticated spin on a classic When Harry Met Sally dilemma continues to delight. By expanding the intimate circle affected by the strange relationship the author has intensified the tension without resorting to melodrama. As Sumire and Momo battle their own natures and to strive to break the deadlock of their relationship, they are continually reminded of just how much they could lose by precipitate action. Is the chance of deeper happiness worth the potential loss of their only emotional refuge?

This tale is a revelation. The progress is so cautious and hesitant you often feel like shouting at the pages but nonetheless the story does move subtly on. Sharp, charming and strikingly drawn, this is a book for grown-ups that depict maturity whilst still being decorous. More, Please!

© 2000, 2004 Yayoi Ogawa. All Rights Reserved.