[Review originally written for and posted on Comicsnob.com]

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 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 behind 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 facade, 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defend the categorisation, and it devolved as things on the net usually do to the point where the issue being argued is no longer applicable to the original circumstances.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 if it helps put To Terra into historical context for ya...) So the art is definitely Old Skool, and reminds me of Leiji Matumoto [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.

[written for and originally posted on Comicsnob.com]

Review: Pantheon High, vol. 1

Published by: Tokyopop
Writer: Paul Benjamin
Artists: Steven and Megumi Cummings

192 (160) pages.
Original Language: English
Orientation: Left to right
Vintage: February 2007
Lettering: Lucas Rivera
Cover Art: Steven Cummings
cover Design: Fawn Lau
Editor: Paul Morrissey
Publisher's Rating: Older Teen, 16+

Rating: 4 out of 5

##

Premise: Demigods face all kinds of challenges. At Pantheon High, the half-mortal, half-divine offspring of all your favorite dusty mythological powers get an education and learn invaluable social skills, though a few bad apples might occasionally attempt to upset the entire natural order and abrogate undue unholy powers upon themselves... Bad Kids! [*wrist slap*] Detention for you!

Synopsis:

...actually, I think the 'premise' blurb just about covers it. And a lot of the fun of this one is figuring out just who you're dealing with (and how their parent's baileywicks translate into high school, as seen through the filter of their scions).

Let's just say that 4 baddies (daughters of Kronos and Loki, and sons of Set and Susano) are making their play, and while it seems like more-or-less innocent pranking to begin with, things soon get deadly serious.

So it is up to our heroes -- one descendant each from the Greek, Egyptian, Norse, and Japanese pantheons -- to work together and thwart the evil scheme. Good triumphs over evil, duh, but there are sacrifices, transformations, and inevitable fan service to consider before we get to a more or less happy ending.

##

Review:

It's the side jokes that make this one so much fun, from Principal Prometheus & Hercules as a Gym Coach, to "Hall Monitor" Heimdahl (I may be one of just three or four people on this continentwho laughed out loud at that last one)

Even if it's all Greek (Norse, Egyptian, Japanese) to you, I think you're going to like this book. Enough explanation is given, in context and as needed, and a fair amount of familiar myth (Greek and Norse) is applied for the important story points. And even if you strip all that away, there is still the underlying plot, where superpowered high school students save the world -- That's one part of this story that I know you'll get.

The book also comes with a whole mess of end notes, which I doubt anyone will reference as they read (at least the first time) though like many other "translation" notes, it's a handy coda to explain a few fine points you may have glossed over on a first read. The extras also include a ten-page preview of Volume 2, which ably shows that this isn't just a one-off gimmick, and that the writer has deeper plans for his characters and this concept.

Good show all around. 4 marks out of 5.

##

and some extra commentary:

It wasn't so long ago that some troll noted comic authority (in a response to my response, etc., on some other post on Comicsnob) accused me of setting up a "straw man" when I called in what I considered to be a few basic readings on myth and storytelling, to counter his contention that perhaps Bob and I hadn't read enough [*cough*] classic comics of whatever flavour to be qualified to comment on other, newer titles.

My point there (that he completely missed) was that comics are stories. Straight up. You can't discuss comics, without looking at the bones of storytelling at some point in the process. (and I think he misused the term "straw man argument" just because he couldn't answer any of my points, but that's a different contention)

A good background on story (which is going to include relevant myth and some basic psych, sorry if your college CW prof didn't get that memo) will always serve you well. And here we have that in spades, my friend-- I'm not saying that you need to be up on all the myths to be able to enjoy this title: it's a fun ride even if you aren't a pantheistic syncreticist with an academic bent and a memory for trivia, someone who not only recognises the basic tropes and archetypes but also how the writer is playing with these forms in this title...

But hell, I was laughing my ass off through about half of it. "A joke that has to be explained is not a joke", but for me and like three other guys, this is the best damn title all year.

[written for and originally posted on ComicSnob.com, back on 30 December 2006. You also missed Welcome to the NHK, Vol. 1, and Angelic Days Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. Haven't you bookmarked Comicsnob yet?]

Kat & Mouse, Vol 1.: Teacher Torture

Published by: Tokyopop
Story: Alex de Campi
Art: Federica Manfredi

96 (90) pages.
Original Language: English
Orientation: Left to right
Vintage: July 2006
Tones: Kathy Schilling
Production Art & Lettering: Erika "Skooter" Terriquez
Cover Design: Anne Marie Horne
Editor: Carol Fox
Publisher's Rating: Ages 8-12

Rating: 4 out of 5

##

Premise: Kat finds herself in a new (private) school when her dad lands a gig at Dover Academy as the new science teacher. Fortunately for her, she links up with Mee-Seen (everyone calls her Mouse) who is one of the few cool people there. Between unexplained thefts, blackmail, and middle school social cliques, together they have their hands full.

Synopsis:

Kat Foster and her mom & dad are moving from Iowa to New Hampshire because Fergus Foster (dad) just landed the job as science teacher at a prestigious private school. One of the job benefits is tuition for Kat, which Mom is excited about, but for Kat it just means that she has to leave her friends and start 7th grade over again in a new school.

On top of the usual transition headaches, Kat also has to deal with the fact that Pops is a teacher (never a good social position to bargain from) and to make matters worse, some ne'er-do-well students are blackmailing her father, trying to get better grades.

Here's the meaty part of the plot: expensive equipment has been stolen from the science lab, and since Fergus can't recall if he locked the lab door (absent-minded professor character template) he could stand to lose his job over the matter. He also gets an odd note, telling him that if he doesn't pass everyone with at least a C grade, even worse may befall him.

Kat and her new friend Mouse take up the challenge, and with a little CSI-flavoured sleuthing, manage to save the day.

##

Review:

[special thanks to Johanna for bringing this title to my attention]

Kat & Mouse manages to pack more story, character development, and heart into 96 pages than a lot of other properties can manage over several volumes.

Part of that is our characters, and the setting. Middle school is a dynamic time in most of our lives, and presents dramatic and thematic possibilites that aren't soon matched outside of the English War of the Roses or Late Republican Rome. Oh, it's all just piddling shite, but in the lives of our characters, it really is that important.

Middle school is the day-to-day battleground of our characters, and also of the target audience. However, just because this is marketed to the 'tween-girl demographic, you should not skip this title. Both Mom & Dad are developed as characters, with their own problems and feelings, so even if you aren't a 12-year-old girl, there are other characters you'll identify with. But the main story --making life work after moving to a new schoo --is universal enough that just about anyone should be able to connect with it: Kat & Mouse is a sweet, light adventure that transcends its marketing goals and develops into a comic that everyone can enjoy.

And if you can't empathise with Kat, something in your soul is dead.

Stylistically, the comic seems a bit plain. The black & white art reads a lot like the old 4-colour comics of days gone by: heavy inks supplemented by only a few tones, without a whole lot of depth. Not that I'm knocking the art; it works. Artist Manfedi doesn't skimp on backgrounds or character details, either, so I'm thinking the clean, slightly simplified art was chosen as a matter of style, and to appeal to kids more familiar with TV cartoons than comic books. I am more impressed by subtleties of story than by subtleties of shading, anyway.

With these characters, this set-up and the concomitant story possibilities, de Campi and Manfredi could run this series for as long as they like. Nancy Drew ran for dozens of volumes; here's hoping the Kat & Mouse crew feel like going for at least a couple dozen themselves. You should give this one a try (or buy gifts for the daughters and nieces in your life) particularly considering that the MSRP is only $6

[not quite two days--a skosh more than that, at least as transferred to my tabulas. If you were reading these live, "as originally written for and posted on ComicSnob.com", as I keep telling you folks, then this review is already a week and more old by this point, and did in fact post two days after the previous review.]

Someday's Dreamers: Spellbound, Vol. 1

Published by: Tokyopop
Writer: Norie Yamada
Artist: Kumichi Yoshizuki

192 (182) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2004. US edition December 2006.
Translation: Jeremiah Borque
English Adaptation: Hope Donovan
Retouch & Lettering: Bowen Park
Cover Design: Jose Macasocol, Jr.
Editor: Paul Morrissey
Publisher's Rating: Teen, ages 13+

Rating: 3 out of 5

##

Premise: The normal stresses of typical high school student life are only compounded when the potential career paths include studying magic...

Synopsis:

Nami Matsuo is a high school senior who has coasted through a lot of school so far; she never joined any clubs, she gets by with just a small cadre of close friends, and boyfriends are only on the very edges of her radar.

Her senior year brings a lot of changes though. She's elected class president. The class jock (a triathlete, of all things) expresses interest in her, as does one of the more studious types: the president of the photography club. (Not to mention one of her friends...)

Nami is mostly oblivious to all that, but there is one new factor she can't ignore: Ryutaro Tominaga literally tears into town on his motorcycle, almost crashing into Nami in the process. He misses her, but hits a tree.

Nami is an earnest but ineffectual magic user, and in her attempts to fix his bike after the accident, she only makes things worse.

And this is the beginning of a whole chain of events, that ends with the usual realizations and confessions... well, if you really have to know, I guess you'll be reading the book.

##

Review:

Another story set in the background of Someday's Dreamers (and hence, the title), here the writer decides to back off a bit from directly addressing magic in the modern age, to see how some of the same issues will tangentially affect a more typical love story.

Mostly, this weakens a lot of the punch of the first miniseries, in that now we just have plain characters and typical high-school-teen interaction to carry the plot, without a gee-whiz gimic like magic-for-hire. On the other hand, the characters are genuine, and while seemingly generic, their interactions and feelings will find resonance with our everyday lives because they are in fact that much closer to the reader's everyday experience.

So it's one more iteration with the same old stock cast, a story of high school loves and crushes. Ugh. I'd almost give this a single point, out of five. (you know there's a but coming...)But the writing and art manage to convey the emotions well, and while the art isn't as drop dead gorgeous as in the two Someday's Dreamers volumes, it is still very good.

The longer page count, combined with a slower pace of storytelling, could also be taken as good points. In some ways the flaws of this first volume can be read as necessary for the build-up, with the need to introduce a whole new cast, set up relationships, and get the ball rolling. Taken on it's own, I'd give it a two out of five, but I'm willing to bump that a point for the payoff of the last page, and the potential of future volumes.

[written for and originally posted on ComicSnob.com]

Someday's Dreamers, Vols. 1 & 2


Published by: Tokyopop
Writer: Norie Yamada
Artist: Kumichi Yoshizuki

144 (128) & 144 (98, +37) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2002. US editions March and July 2006.
Translation: Jeremiah Borque
English Adaptation: Hope Donovan
Copy Editor: Eric Althoff (vol. 1) & Peter Ahlstrom (vol. 2)
Retouch & Lettering: James Dashiell (vol. 1) & Creative Circle and Camellia Cox (vol. 2)
Production Artists: Jennifer Carbajal and Lucas Rivera (vol. 1) & Fawn Lau (vol. 2)
Cover Design: Gary Shum
Editor: Paul Morrissey
Publisher's Rating: Teen, ages 13+

Rating: 5 out of 5

##

Premise: Modern-day, professional magic is just another part of the service economy. Yume Kikuchi has come to Tokyo for a summer internship with noted mage Masami Oyamada. Learning the rules of magic is only the beginning of her education...

Synopsis:

An odd misunderstanding that develops from the way his name was spelled leads Yume Kikuchi to think her new teacher would be a woman. When she finds out that Masami Oyamada is a man... well, lets just say that her slight phobia towards men is going to make this difficult. Not just because Masami is her teacher, but also because Yume signed up to stay at (not 'her' but) his house for the next few months.

Over the course of her internship, Yume makes a few bad decisions. It's all part of the educational experience, and daily proof that magic won't solve all problems. Despite the reassurances of her friends and teachers--and while her magic does do some wonderful things for the people that she meets--Yume ends up taking all of these small failures all too seriously.

When her desire to help ends up going head to head with both the realities and limitations of her craft, Yume get disheartened, and despairing and depressed, runs back home with every intention to give up magic for good. But with the help of her teacher, her mother, and the head of the magic bureau, she works through both her trepidations and the problems of her most difficult client, and finds that in the end, the magic of both her special gifts and the human heart will prevail.

##

Review:

From the ComicSnob FAQ:

[quote]
Q: Why is there so much stuff about manga? I hate those creepy-looking bug-eyed kids.

A: There are two kinds of people who like manga. The first are 12-year-old girls. The second are middle-aged pervs with school uniform fetishes people who are such comic nob/snobs that they believe that manga is better than guys in spandex beating each other up.
[/quote]

Well, let me switch gears from my usual fare (rated 16+ or 18+; "Wrapped in plastic = bonus!") and review a couple of books that appeal to the other half of the demographic. While the back of the books say ages 13+, I don't see anything objectionable here. If you let your kids read Harry Potter, than this series is more than fine. (in fact, I'd heartily recommend these to any Rowling fan)

Another reason to review this particular title is that the first volume of the spin-off series released just last week (check this space in 2 days) so I'm presented with a perfect opportunity to dust off and review one of my favourites.

Let me make a note on the page counts: The second volume barely runs a hundred pages, after subtracting out a couple of 'bonus' stories, and there is the usual padding of ads and extras across both volumes. (Take that as one more reason why I decided to combine the two volumes into one review.) While Tokyopop could have sold us a single ~240 page book, if they had done so, we would have had one less cover.

The cover art is gorgeous. The thumbnails don't really do it justice; try to find a larger image or just hunt this one down at a local comic book store. You can find yourself getting lost as your eyes gaze down a road winding into the background art (particularly on the cover for volume one).

The first 5-6 pages of each volume (along with the last few pages of story in vol. 2) are hand-shaded, either with watercolours or art markers (it's hard to say with black & white art)-- but either way, it's very nice. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to be paying serious bank to some artists to do whole books in this style. The soft tones (without inks) provide an excellent introduction to both the main character and the overall mood of the books.

After the subtle, nuanced art of the first few pages, the rest of the book will be jarring, briefly, but even after switching to standard inks and tones, the artist is still doing some amazing things with the standard palette. The play of dappled light and shadow as sunlight is filtered through leaves; the background of trees, rocks, and water when two characters are sitting by the side of a creek; dynamic visual contrast on nearly every page--I don't know if the credit goes to Yoshizuki or to a phalanx of unnamed art assistants (heretofore unnamed; let's name 'em: Junji Ikeda, Makoto Koizume, Shin Hasegawa, & Takehiro Kotera) but you could use these books as examples in manga art classes. Yeah, it's still black and white art, but we're not missing a damn thing because of that.

So it's pretty. How's the story?

The anime of the same name is a slow, meandering story that seems to take 25 minutes to make a single plot point. (I saw the anime first) By contrast, and perhaps because this is just a 2 volume series, events in the manga move at a much brisker pace. After volume one, our heroine has not only taken on four cases, but the aftermath of that last case ends the book with a real dramatic punch.

Volume two steps away from outside events, and begins to wrap things up for all of our main characters. The drama is still there, but it is focused on the present-day consequences of things hidden in the main characters' back-stories. While the books reach a conclusion, we are also left with the distinct feeling that the characters are now moving forward. In some ways that's the best kind of ending, particularly when the main conflict is more psychological than physical.

We do get a little more, though: the end of volume two is padded out with a couple of cute stories about Yume and a friend of hers, a couple of light romances for the end of summer.

I've already said this series is one of my favourites; and between the art, the story, and the overall accessibility, this is one of very few manga that I can recommend to anyone without reservation. If you wanted proof that comics can be more than superheroes and formulaic monster-of-the-week plots; here ya go, have at it.

[written for and originally posted on ComicSnob.com]

My-HiME, Vol. 1

Published by: Tokyopop
Writer: Kimura Noburu
Artist: Sato Ken-etsu

200 (192) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2004. US edition November 2006.
Translation: Jeremiah Bourque
English Adaptation: Gina Lee Firenzi
Copy Editor: Sarah Morgan
Design and Layout: Michael Paolilli
Graphic Designer: Monalisa De Asis
Editor: Bryce P. Coleman
Publisher's Rating: Mature, Ages 18+

Rating: 3 out of 5

##

Premise: School girls with psychic powers are gathered at a special academy to fight the "orphans", monsters that appear out of nowhere with little but mayhem and destruction on their mind. So far, at least, the Orphans only appear to attack the school...

Synopsis:

Yuuichi Tate is a new transfer to Fuka Academy. He's stoked, because his old school was boys-only, and he's looking forward to co-ed education.

The poor lad. It's just his second day, and on the way into class from the dorm, he finds himself in the crossfire of a psychic-powered catfight: a couple of girls named Mai and Natsuki are in the middle of a grudge match when poor Yuuichi takes a wrong turn.

The results of the fight are pretty much a draw, but Yuuichi discovers he is a Key, and as such is able to amplify the power of a Hime, as the girl psychics are called. The thing is, it looks like he is the Key for not one but both of the girls.

That afternoon one of the Orphans attacks (at the pool; because the writer & artist wanted girls in swimsuits in peril, is my guess) and while the Hime response team (with Yuuichi's help) manages to defeat the monster, a stray shot takes out Yuuichi's dorm room.

Poor guy. This being a manga, he gets assigned temporary quarters in a girl's dorm, rooming with Mai and her junior roommate, Mikoto. Before the night is over Yuuichi has to put up with strict rules about which side of the room is not his (enforced by Mikoto with a sword), inadvertent temptation, a kidnapping, and a botched rescue that results in another destroyed dorm room, and a third girl (Mai's rival Natsuki) being crammed in with the rest.

There are at least two more battles and a lot of school politics, and mayonnaise-covered ramen and other horrors to contend with. And Yuuichi's first week isn't even over yet.

##

Review:

My-HiME is based on an anime of the same name. From the info in one of the sidebars within the manga--and also some of the flaws apparent in it--we know the comic was conceived as part of a multichannel strategy (TV, print, a PS2 game, merchandise, etc.) to drown the market in cute power-wielding, creature-summoning, monster-fighting school girls, who in the heat of battle occasionally have bits of their uniform burned, torn, or melted off.

Obviously, these guys know their target market.

Like many (all?) adaptations, this manga suffers from one glaring flaw: the writer assumes everyone is familiar with the show, so they hardly bother to introduce anyone or explain anything.

If you didn't know better, you might think that this was a brilliant literary device, using foreshadowing while simultaneously dropping the reader in medias res, with the expectation that characters and concepts will be introduced later, after the action.

Let me disabuse you of that assumption right now. Nope, no exposition, no introductions, and only the slightest nod to the reader not-in-the-know. At most, they'll toss a name at you in a caption the first time a character appears, and that's all you get. A knowledge of a whole bundle of personalities, allegiances, conflicts, back story, and motivation is all taken as a sine qua non.

But here I am, 600 words into a review, and while I've insulted several people, disparaged a whole class of manga, and used Latin twice, I still haven't actually told you anything about this particular comic.
Well, I haven’t seen the anime yet (I’m waiting for the final disc to street sometime this March; call me picky, I like to see a show all at once) so like most of you would be, I’m nearly lost in this first volume. And, if an offhand comment from another sidebar is any indication, fans of the TV show will be just as confused (if a bit more familiar with the characters) because apparently the manga is an alternate storyline anyway.

The events of this first volume could easily have been split over two books of the same length. A slightly slower pace, particularly in the beginning, would have given the writer room to introduce characters (and setting, and concepts) while also providing the artist some room to display the monsters and summoned creatures in all of their glory, rather than having them shoehorned in behind explosions in the fight scenes.

Granted, the art is good, mostly. Tender moments between leads are perhaps some of the best panels in the book; Ken-etsu manages to convey the emotions of the teenage characters well. You can literally read it in their faces. The action panels are also well done, but tend to pile up on one another. And inexplicably some attacks appear to be happening in mid-air, without impact or targets, just because the character will look cooler that way.

The book earns its 18+ rating, so don’t let your 12-year-old read it. Damsels in distress get at least a half page, skirts fly even without a breeze, and there was the aforementioned fight at a swimming pool. I know that as a manga fan I’m supposed to demand my books uncut and unbowdlerized, but in this case some of the fan service is just distracting, or seems misplaced. The book would have actually been better without a bare ass or strategically-tattered uniform or three. Not that you’ll hear me repeat that.

So I might have given this a 4, if they bothered to explain anything, or a 2 just for the distracting T&A. I’ll split the difference. And as distractions go… I suppose it could be worse. [*cough*]

Fortunately for me the final DVD will be released about the same time as the second volume, so I can watch a few episodes and then come back to this property with a little more background. If you are already a fan of the show, then you might just give this a try for an alternate take on your favourite characters.

[written for and originally posted on ComicSnob.com]

Recast, Vol. 1

Published by: Tokyopop
Writer & Artist: Seung-Hui Kye

192 (184) pages.
Original Language: Korean
Orientation: Left to right
Vintage: 2003. US edition November 2006.
English Translation: Woo Sok Park
Re-touch & Lettering: Nathan Kaestle
Graphic Designer: James Lee
Editor: Hope Donovan
Publisher's Rating: Teen, Ages 13+

Rating: 4 out of 5

##

Premise: In a world where just about anyone can use magic--if they bother to pay attention in their high school classes--JD is an apprentice mage being raised by his grandfather to be something exceptional...

Synopsis:

JD is trying to follow in his grandfather Grifford's footsteps; problem is, Gramps is a kick-ass mage, and he doesn't bother to teach much, believing in something along the lines of "Well, toss 'im in. If he doesn't drown, he'll learn to swim."

JD runs into all kinds of crap in the zombies-coming-to-get-us line in this first instalment, which he manages to deal with, both with and without his grandfather's help. Along with Professor Celine, who is too hot by half to be stuck teaching kids magic, and the currently-unnamed-but-persistent foes, JD has his hands full. I'd love to go into more details, but there are a lot of spoilers I won't get into

##

Review:

...because you should read this for yourself.

This is not your standard fantasy. Oh, some of the usual props and tropes are here--from spells and magic weapons, to wise old mages and young, brash apprentices. And then after that, all your expectations are going to fail you. This isn't just another D&D rip-off.

There's a cosmology here, something that seems new. It may be old hat to someone conversant with Korean myths... but then again, I don't think so. (I don't have a degree, but I'm pretty sure I'd heard about most world myths already.)

The basics are "heaven" (the 6th world) and "hell" (the 4th world) and the goldilocks-zone of the 5th world (which has a top and bottom-- the inside of the sixth sphere and the outside of the fourth sphere, near as I grok it) where all our characters are starting out. And while some restrictions apply, there seems to be a lot of back-and-forth movement between the three. From here, though, who knows where Kye is going to take us next.

There is a lot of other stuff dealing with the mechanics of magic that I won't go into, either because it's barely been mentioned yet, or because it has something to do with major plot points related to our characters. And there we are. A complex fantasy story that I can't describe in detail because I don't want to ruin it for you.

Back to nuts and bolts: So, even with new clothes, is it just the same old hoary story? Yes and no. I can see the setup: Young hero must overcome obstacles, realize his own power, collect the plot coupons, find the Magic McGuffin and then face off against evil ("You're not my father!") before cashing in on the happily-ever-after voucher. And while I want to write this off as just another derivative fantasy, so far artist/writer Kye doesn't seem to be falling into that well-worn and well-padded rut. I'm not sure what to expect from future volumes, but the usual cliches don't seem to be any part of the story yet.

It's that promise that raises my eyebrow, and my review by a point. Otherwise I might have only given this a 3 (for uneven pacing, and and annoying habit of not explaining anything) but his hook has worked. I want to read more.

[written for and originally posted on ComicSnob.com]

By the Sword, Vol. 1 (of 2)

Published by: ADV Manga
Writer & Artist: Sanami Matoh

192 (184) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2003. US edition March 2005.
Translator: Yuko Yoshikawa
Translation Staff: Javier Lopez (Translation Supervisor), Kay Bertrand, Amy Forsyth, and Brendan Frayne
Print Production/Art Studio Manager: Lisa Puckett
Production Staff: Klys Reedyk (Pre-press Manager), Jorge Alvarado (Senior Designer), George Reynolds (Group Leader), Heather Gary (artist), Natalia Morales (artist), Mark Meza (intern)
International Coordinators: Toru Iwakami, Atsushi Kanbayashi, and Kyoko Drumheller
Editor: Susan Itin
Editorial Staff: Margaret Scharold (Assistant Editor), Sheridan Jacobs (assistant), Mike Essmyer (intern), Marsha Arnold (research)
Executives who get their name in the book though it's questionable if they actually did any creative work on the project: Kevin Corcoran & John Ledford.
Publisher's Rating: Ages 13+

Rating: 2 out of 5

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Premise: Whilst wandering medieval Japan, an itinerant demon hunter finally finds the mystic blade through which he can properly channel his powers, but it comes with some baggage...

Synopsis:

We meet our hero, the demon hunter Asagi, in a brief action sequence that kicks off the comic. Asagi offs the demon he is fighting, though he has to use his mystic power to do so. (it's an unspecified power, but really good against demons apparently. His power can only be used when channeled through a sword, though this has the side-effect of fatally weakening the blade.

Soon after, he gets a tip on a mystical blade, the Moegi, that would let him chop up demons as much as he'd like, if he can find it. His only clue is that the one who supposedly has the blade is a girl named Kaede in a prefecture a couple of mountains ranges over.

This being a two volume mini-series, only a couple pages later Asagi tracks down Kaede (well, he randomly runs into her at a temple, after making his way to the prefecture in question) and he now has the blade he needs. Sort of.

Asagi can use the blade, when Kaede lets him, but she insists on carrying it around & generally not letting it leave her sight. The blade also comes with other baggage: namely, Kuranei the fire demon, the blade's forger. Well, Kuranei is feeling a little under the weather; his body is missing so it's just his spirit that hangs around. His spirit appears as a foot tall version of himself. And he's a reformed demon, he doesn't go around eating people's livers any more. Oh, and he happens to be Kaede's father.

The volume ends with some more exposition on how each of the characters ended up like they are, as well as a bit of a cliffhanger.

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Review:

If the number of people listed in the credits is any indication, ADV is fairly serious about making a business of this manga licensing thing. Sheesh, people, I just want to know which poor, underpaid artist actually did the lettering, I don't need to know the whole office staff, or who went out for coffee and doughnuts. I tried to summarize as much as I could in the header above (this is only a review, after all) while still giving credit where due.

(to be fair, this is one of ADV's first releases-- first manga release, anyway; they've done two boatloads of anime-- and in a more recent release from ADV which I've referenced, it seems they've reined in a bit on the credits.)

If you've seen Inuyasha on Cartoon Network then you have a feel for this type of background and setting already. Fans of one will likely find something to enjoy in the other. Still, the plot seems wafer thin and character motivation and development are both fairly simplistic.

I can say a few good things about the art, though. The panels are dense, and renderings use both hand-drawn inks and screen tones to produce some very lush, expressive black and white artwork. Action scenes have a lot of punch [har har] and all in all, the book is fun to look at.

Even with all the pretty art to distract me, I still thought story was yawn inducing. I probably won't even bother buying the second volume.