About Heroes

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Volume 9
Story & Art: Yukito Kishiro
English Adaptation: Fred Burke
Publisher: Viz Media

When last we left Alita she had finally penetrated the center of Melchizedek, the supercomputer who is holding her friend Lou's brain hostage. It is there she is mesmerized by a vivid vision of the undead life of Caerula, who in this flashback is referred to as Vilma Fachiri. As the dream sequence continues we learn the fates of Haruka, Victor, Vilma, and Arthur. It is at the end of this volume that we also learn what the title Last Order means. Melchizedek (known as Merlin originally) has no inherent sense of morals or human values, but instead is influenced based on those of its human operators. It turns out that after losing Haruka, Arthur has lost the hope of humanity and gives a "last order" to Vilma. When Merlin's operators become so corrupt as to have Merlin threaten the future of humanity, Vilma is to insert the Fata Morgana module into Merlin, which will cause Merlin to self-destruct. That's pretty much the crux of the story. And while it remains a good Kushiro story, full of slashing fights, gory violence, and mind twisting facts, it is a total deviation from Alita's story. She doesn't even appear in this book. I found it very weird that the Panzer Kunst evolved from vampire martial artist. Not a bad story what so ever, but I'll just be happy when we can focus back on Alita. B

Ranma 1/2 Volume 1
Story & Art: Rumiko Takahshi
English Adaptation: Gerard Jones & Matt Thorn
Publisher: Viz Media
I can't help but think of the first season intro song every time I read Ranma. That song has been stuck in my head for 15 years now and of course this is a good thing. I tried explaining to friends in the past the beauty of Ranma, but it really doesn't do it justice. So, what happens when your father takes you training in China and you fall in a cursed spring? Well you turn into a girl when splashed with cold water! And him into a Panda that holds up ridiculous signs to get his points across. What happens when you are forced to live with your fiancée that hates men and has every guy in high school after her? That's just the first chapter, how can you not instantly fall in love with that idea? In this 300 page manga you also get the first appearance of Kuno who falls in love with Ranma's girl side and is in constant battle with himself over who to choose Ranma or Akane. Directionally-challenged Ryoga also makes his first appearance and fights Ranma to the death over some bread. Although the artwork is top notch, this is the first volume and it pales slightly in comparison to later volumes. The lines are not as sharp and a bit smudgy and the figures not as well defined. Some of the characters look a bit different than they do in later volumes. Ranma ½ is an entertaining martial arts romantic comedy with some strange loveable characters and some great ridiculous fights; and that is the only way I can describe it. I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone that has ever wondered what manga is all about, because to me this is the definition of manga. A+

Zombie Powder Volume 1
Story & Art: Tite Kubo
Translation: Akira Watanabe
Publisher: Viz Media

From the same guy that brought you that little wonderful series Bleach comes the search for the zombie powder. And if you haven't read or seen Bleach, shame on you! Gamma Akutabi is in search for the 12 Rings of the Dead, which is the source of the zombie powder, which can raise the dead or grant immortality. Along the way Gamma meets Elwood, whose sister is killed by a gang in his town. Elwood decides to travel with Gamma to acquire all 12 rings to bring his sister back from the dead. This manga is blended well with action and comedic elements. Elwood provides the comic relief, dragging Gamma and later his partner Mr. Smith, into one worse predicament after another. But don't let him fool you; he's really deadly with his weapons of choice, his knives. Gamma himself is an intriguing character with his black metal arm and the powerful giant sword/chainsaw sword! You have to keep in mind that this book came out before Bleach and you can tell by the way that Kubo was tightening up his art in these pages. I really like the look of the characters and the action scenes are purely amazing. The details are especially lush and striking with facial expressions. Now this is a way to start a manga. A

Bastard: Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy Volume 15
Story & Art: Kazushi Hagiwara
English Adaptation: Sean McCoy
Publisher: Viz Media

Dark Scheinder is dead, well at least for now. I find it funny that even the author is already talking about DS coming back in the next volume or two. While the Rebel Samurai and Sorcerer Shogun are fighting of a flock of angels who have submerged into the world's surface, Kall-Su studies ancient computers aboard the embattled Arc and discovers a terrifying prophecy known as Apocrypha of Johannes. This prophecies the end of all humanity and the world, we are talking Armageddon baby! Then, just as Yoko is about to be ripped apart by winged monsters, Lucien is suddenly reborn as the fallen archangel Lucifer. Not only is all of heaven breaking loose on earth, DS falls into hell and comes face to face with the Devil himself! This series isn't for everyone, but for those people that love adventure, sex, violence, gore, and some great ass kicking action this is the book for us. I do have to say the DS is the glue that keeps everything from falling apart and having him MIA is really a downer. However, the art is definitely hitting its high streak. Hagiwara has come a long way from volume 1 and his characters look amazing and ready for battle. I really look forward to the next volume and hopefully the return of DS. B+