Title: Dororo Vol. 1
Author: Osamu Tezuka
Illustrator: Osamu Tezuka
Publisher and/or Distributor: Vertical, Inc.
Pages: 342
ISBN: 978-193428716-3
Price: $13.95
Publishing Date: 2008
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
This Manga is yet another Japanese classic brought to us from the New York publishing house that is dedicated to bringing the best of Japanese literature to the United States. The first in a three-volume series. Its movie version grossed $30 million. This is the first time it has been rendered in the English language.
There is a battle on almost every page—definitely an action graphic novel. A samurai seeking to become warlord of Japan. He agrees to trade his soon to be born son’s 48 body parts as payment toward that end. When born, he throws the deformed baby into the river to drown. The boy is discovered by a doctor who makes prosthetics for the missing body parts and adopts him as his own. Grown now, our hero meets a wild bandit boy with whom he teams. Along the way, he kills demons and regains a missing body part for every demon he kills.
This is one of the most influential Manga artists in Japan’s history. We rated it a solid five hearts.
Title: The Seven Magi: The Guin Saga Manga Vol. 3
Author: Kaoru Kurimoto
Illustrator: Kazuaki Yanagisawa
Publisher and/or Distributor: Vertical
Pages: 200
ISBN: 978-1-9324287-08-8
Price: $12.95
Publishing Date: March 2008
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
This classic Manga fantasy is the final volume of The Seven Magi. Vertical publishing is the top American gatekeeper of the best of Japanese literature. They translate the very best of modern Japanese authors and illustrators. They don’t compromise Manga’s stylings. For instance, their Manga is read backwards, as if it was still in Japanese. This enables them to keep down redesign costs and also lend authenticity to the art form.
This is an adult Manga, which features the hero leopard King Guin must uncover the source of a dark magic ensorcelling his kingdom, Cheironia. Guin must rush into the center of his city and face the magi down. We scored this excellent Manga five hearts.
Title: Into the Volcano
Author: Don Wood
Illustrator: Don Wood
Publisher and/or Distributor: Scholastic / Blue Sky Press
Pages: 175
ISBN: 978-0-439-72671-9
Price: $18.99
Publishing Date: Oct 2008
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
This graphic novel for ages 7 and up follows two young brothers who are sent by their father with a strange cousin to a remote Pacific volcanic island to see their aunt Lulu. One of the brothers, Sumo, is afraid of doing or experiencing anything. His brother Duffy is just the opposite.
They are flown by charter jet to the island and there, they quickly involved with going inside an active volcano, trying to escape their so-called family. Their mother, supposedly doing research in Borneo, shows up in an underground cavern. She shows them a treasure trove of magical gems which may solve all mankind’s energy problems. Finally, the family comes back together and Sumo gains a modicum of bravery.
The artwork and the characters have a definite Samoan flavor. We rated this graphic novel by a Caldecott Award Honors winner four hearts.
