About Heroes

Gunsmith Cats Burst vols. 3& 4
Story & Art: Kenichi Sonoda
Translation & Lettering: Studio Cutie
Publisher: Dark Horse

Alright! I couldn’t be more excited then when I saw the covers of these volumes: Bean Bandit and Goldy!! It was really sad to see Rally shop for a new car. I loved that Shelby 500 GT as much as she did. Of course she can’t have a normal test drive in a vintage Cobra without someone trying to gun her down. Bean Bandit shows up, because he still owes Rally and she aims to collect. This time he is entering in a race all in the hopes of luring in detective Percy and gets him killed in an accident. Of course Rally doesn’t like the idea of being remotely involved in killing a policeman, so she enlists in the race herself in her brand new Cobra. The race itself was like watching Cannonball Run, Gone in Sixty Seconds (the original not the Angelina Jolie remake), and Vanishing Point. I agree with Rally! How the hell is Goldie still alive? Well, let’s just say things are a little different and this is a complete twist on the character. Sonoda’s designs remain sharp edged and detailed. However it’s great to see a combination of detailed machinery and cute anime faces. Throw in some guns and some fantastic action sequences and Dark Horse have themselves a winner. I would definitely recommend going back and reading the Omnibus collections, because they are amazing and affordable. A-

Hellsing vols. 8 & 9
Author and artist: Kohta Hirano
Translation: Duane Johnson
Lettering: Wilbert Lacuna
Publisher: Dark Horse

It’s been well over a year since I reviewed the last volumes of Hellsing. Thank Goodness this is a book you can just pick up and figure out what is going on. Over 100 years ago Dracula was defeated by Van Helsing, Holmwood, Morris, and Seward. Hirano added to the story of Dracula, by telling us the aftermath of the events of Bram Stoker’s story, and a good addition it is. In volume eight one begins to wonder if Alucard is looking for release from his unlife from a worthy adversary. Van Helsing did not kill Dracula in the end, but made him a servant/ soldier to help in the crusade rid the world of other creatures of darkness. What better soldier to have than the king of vampires himself? It never ceases to amaze me just how many different ways Hirano can draw Alucard! I don't mean that he can't draw and therefore he always looks different, but that his facial expressions are never the same. What an accomplishment! Hirano doesn't rely on the same cool smirk every time; I believe he enjoys seeing how many different ways Alucard can look crazy. And he is a shape-shifting vampire, so I suppose his face wouldn't always be the same.. Seriously, you'll never get bored reading this book with all the hard work put into each panel. The guy really knows how to set the mood with his art and let me tell you, these last two volumes are dark. It’s sad that it’ll be another year before volume ten gets reviewed. B+

Jormungand vols. 1 & 2
Story & Art: Keitaro Takahashi
Translation: Joe Yamazaki
Adaptation: STAN!
Publisher: Viz

I love oversized manga, no not necessarily longer than 150 pages. I mean over size as in the trimming is bigger than usual; it usually makes me thing that these stories printed in these pages are so important they had to be told in oversize treatment. I’m about 70% right and the other 30% I think other people enjoy more than I do. Koko Hekmatyar is an arms dealer that also happens to have a band of mercenaries at her side. One of these mercenaries is a child soldier named Jonah who lost his family because of the Merchants of Death! The first volume does a wonderful job of establishing the characters and their purpose. Even though sometimes it’s just a mere panel or two that one character gets. Although I found the beginning chapters nice and informative, the series really shone in volume two, because no exaggeration: it’s a huge shoot out and adrenaline rush. The art is gorgeous and really does wonder for the action driven scenes. The book is done in mostly heavy inks and doesn’t hardly use any tone. Takahashi puts great detail into guns and action scenes, it makes the book very lively! Overall Jormungand is a really fun, action-filled story that is full of over-the-top adventure, mystery, psychotics, murderers, and assassins that look good doing what they do. I mean what more could you want out of a book? It really reminds me of Suicide Squad or Gantz. A great read and a damn fun book too! This is definitely a buy! A

Maid Sama! vols. 3 & 4
Story & Art: Hiro Fujiwara
Translation: Su Mon Han
Lettering: Star Print Brokers
Publisher: Tokyopop

Yes, it's true, any time I see the word maid or see a maid on the cover of manga I end up not wanting to read the book;..unless there are tentacles on the cover. Since Omar reviewed Emma and Melanie did the last maid series, I volunteered to do this one. For starters Misaki is the Student Council President who has a secret double life as a maid (or pretending to be one) at a maid cafe. While she doesn't enjoy the job, like most of us it's still a job. I was under the impression that everyone was proud of their job, no matter how belittling in Japan. If you've ever had the chance to go to Japan and read manga or watch anime, you know what Maid Cafes are. Come on the girls there blow your hot curry for you and spoon feed you! Hot! Any way, one day, a boy named Usui from her school sees her at work and discovers her secret. Since he is somewhat affectionate of her, he doesn't tell anyone else her secret, but intstead goes and visits her cafe regularly. Which seems kind of odd for a guy that is supposed to be the big dreamy guy at the school. Hypnosis plays a big role in these two volumes. They already have a love/hate relationship, you throw in to the mix hypnotic hating and there is a whole world of trouble. But, that's nothing a little beach trip with the maids won' fix. There is even a volleyball game and hot steamy sex scene at the beach with fireworks. Alright, I lied about the sex, but everything else is true. I have to say I'm hooked, because of Misaki. She is a strong protagonist that isn't caught up in the stereotype girl-shojo style that I'm used to. This is a series I am keeping a close eye on!. B

Shaman Warrior vol. 9
Story & Art: Park Joong-Ki
Translation: Jay So
Lettering: Steve Dutro
Publisher: Dark Horse

This is for you, Yaki! You don’t know how long I have been saying that since I read the final volume of Shaman Warrior. It’s been a couple of months since I read volumes 6 through 9 back to back. Let’s play quick catch-up; this all started because of Yarong, who is mortally wounded at the end of the first book. Batu is now in charge of Yaki (Yarong’s daughter) and he has to keep her safe in order for her to become a Shaman Warrior. Yaki is now a woman and has gathered troops of her own to destroy the men that killed her father and endanger the lives of other shaman. With her new found powers she has already killed one of the men responsible, but new villains seem to put a damper on her plans. Let me just say that the final volume of this fantastic series does not disappoint. It had everything I wanted: Blood, guts, action, revenge, death, sacrifice, and even a little room for some love! Yaki’s final stand really moved me. For a lead female character she is up there with Ripley, Buffy, and Storm! The dark scratchy lines that seem like take forever to draw give this book that appealing unique look that so many other books lack. The action sequences are drawn so well that they are easy to follow, even for a book that relies on action heavy scenes. The movements flow smoothly and the motion is very convincing. Fans of Blade of the Immortal, Vagabond, and Lone Wolf and Cub should check this wonderful series out! A

Vagabond vols. 30 & 31
Story & Art: Takehiko Inoue
Based on Eji Yoshikawa’s Musashi
Adaptation: Yuji Oniki
Publisher: Viz

After the brutal fights with the 70 men of the Yoshioka Clan in the last volumes and these two volumes Musashi is left with a severely injured leg. While the sword fighting slows down in these two books it gives room for further character development. Unfortunately the character development makes you wish for more sword slashing action, because who am I kidding do I really just get this book for the story? I think it’s always been the art that truly draws me in these books. It gives the book a fleeting and suspenseful sense of what’s going on in each panel. Inoue was born to draw samurai action and he does it so perfect. It is absolutely gorgeous, dense, and very detailed. These characters literally come to life with the help of his pencils and inks. It really does put you in this time and place. If you like Manga that does not romanticizes war or swordsman, Vagabond should peak your interest. If Lone Wolf and Cub is the standard for balancing poetic story telling and showing the hardcore grit of life as a swordsman, than Vagabond comes a close second. What drives Musashi to succeed and overcome his past makes this series promising. The characters show a range of emotions in this series and the situations they deal with does an excellent job of targeting a mature audience. Sure the characters aren’t the nicest, even the protagonist is not very likable at times, but damn is it fun. Anyone interested in Japanese culture, swordsmanship, or just likes a great story should check out this series. The color pages and the additional sketches really give you no reason to buy this series if you haven’t yet. B+