Doll

A thought-provoking and slightly sadistic manga on what it means to be human 

by Mitsukazu Mihara

Doll -Softcover Volume 1 (v. 1)

Rating: Adult

Genre / themes: androids, science fiction, Japan, humanity, psychological, death,

Art level: Good (manga style), black and white

Star Rating: 4/5

Number of Books: Six, complete series.

Other notes: Short stories with emerging common characters and themes, 'adult' Chobits. Dolls with no will or emotions/modifications to them.

Doll: Amazon Blurb
In these haunting tales, dolls--human-like androids--have an uncanny way of working themselves into the lives of their masters: A woman develops an unusual closeness to doll that she takes beyond the grave...A man wants to make his doll into the perfect human lover...A father buys his son a doll to help him get over the death of his mother. Doll examines the question of what it means to be truly human.


My Review
The second manga that I recommend (the first was Lady Snowblood by Kazuo Koike) Doll is for older readers. It has very pretty - and highly stylised - manga-style art with Gothic Lolita designs (big eyes, long legs, very pretty faces on everyone). It's also an intelligent pyschological twister that I rate well above Deathnote, but is a fair bit more mature - think Chobits for adults!

The six Doll books tell the different stories - that gradually and subtly intertwine - of people, scientists and very realistic androids. Twisted little stories about replacements for lost parents, creating the ideal lover, and what it really means to be human that gradually culminate into a macabre and thoughtful anthology. Definitely not for younger readers.

The complete 'Doll' manga series

Lady Snowblood

The manga that inspired the films of Kill Bill

Written by Kazuo Koike

Lady Snowblood Volume 1 (v. 1)

Rating: Very definitely adult. Violence and sex.

Genre / themes: Vengeance, historical Japan, assassin.

Art level: Manga, high quality, scenes and flow seem cinematically scripted by the author. Black and white.

Star Rating: 4.5/5

Number of Books: Four. Completed.

Other notes: Inspired a (not so good) film of the same name, which
led to Kill Bill. Kazuo Koike also wrote Lone Wolf and Cub.


Lady Snowblood: Amazon Blurb
From the pen of Kazuo Koike, of Lone Wolf and Cub fame, comes Lady Snowblood, the manga that eventually would become an inspiration for director Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill blockbuster films. A story of pure vengeance, Lady Snowblood tells the tale of a daughter born of a singular purpose, to avenge the death of her family at the hands of a gang of thugs, a purpose woven into her soul from the time of her gestation. Beautifully drafted and full of bloody, sexy action, Lady Snowblood lives up to its title and reputation.

My Review
Lady Snowblood is the only manga I ever truly loved (although I also recommend Doll),  and fits neatly into four volumes. The story of an assassin for hire, hunting down the people who destroyed her mother's life, Lady Snowblood is the story Kill Bill was (tentatively) based on, very evident in the design of the covers. Lady Snowblood was also the name of an earlier film adaptation.

A brilliantly drawn black-and-white manga full of blood and nudity, Lady Snowblood has both plot and character development, and I thoroughly approve of the artwork. it is not for younger readers nor for the faint of heart. Her trade is, after all, assassination, and being an attractive young woman, she often uses nudity as a distraction.

The stories skip along, mostly detailing each job - destroying a yakuza gangs that a museum can be built, exposing a blackmailing pornographic photographer, assassinations, lovers, traveling around. It actually takes some rereading to realise how subtly the stories are often connected, and which are simple 'jobs' and which are actually the pursuit of her vengeance. It is both well written and historically accurate - set in the 1890s of Japan, and the growth of Yuki ('Snow') as a person adds an extra layer of depth to the story.

The black and white style is simplistic and effective, and very graceful - in most cases, it helps reduces the impact of the violence, as the blood is not red, and the flesh is plain white.

The third book, Retribution, is a bit cruder than the rest (in case you prefer to avoid more explicit stories) and less serious - she hunts down a famous (and famously eccentric) writer and persuades him to publish her story in order to flush out her remaining targets - but the art is beautiful still. Or, as an Amazon reviewer puts it "Compensation for their dumbing down a fairly smart series comes in Kamimura's artwork, more cinematic than ever, full of marvelous viewing angles, perspectival effects, and purely visual storytelling; Koike presumably scripted these wordless aspects, too. So, hats off again, gentlemen."

If you think this is up your street, I thoroughly recommend it.

The four books of the Lady Snowblood manga

A Distant Soil

A very pretty black and white series of telepathy and aliens
by Colleen Doran

A Distant Soil: Coda (Book 4)

Rating: Young adult.

Genre / themes: Fantasy, science fiction, some yaoi, rebellion

Art level: Good. Detailed inking - all black and white, Western comics style.

Star Rating: 4/5
Best Other Work in the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards 2001


Number of Books: Four, completed.

Other notes: Being released as a webcomic by the author.


Distant Soil Vol. 1: Amazon Blurb
The story of a young girl who is born the heir to an alien religious dynasty, is one of comics most lavish and romantic sagas, listed as one of the five best books for teenage girls by Sassy Magazine. A never-before-published A Distant Soil short story and the first 11 chapters of the science/fantasy series are collected in this 240 page trade.


My Review
A Distant Soil is the story of two children with telepathic powers who are rescued/recruited by aliens, in a complicated and desperate game of politics. It will probably appeal more to girls initially, unless you are buying it for the art - and the art is very pretty, so if you're artistically inclined I do recommend it. It's a little old-fashioned in style, particularly the way Liana is drawn (and by old-fashioned, I mean '80-90's comics). You can actually check it out here on Colleen Doran's site, as she's uploading it slowly as a webcomic. Of course, like almost all such stories, it's much easier to read in print. Colleen Doran has also illustrated for Marvel and DC.

It starts with two children - Liana and Jason - running away from an institute, who are mysteriously rescued by a pair of aliens (who basically look like humans... ). turns out their father wasn't human, Liana is an Avatar, and the current Avatar is trying desperately to both protect her, and use her to help break the hold of the current selfish, cruel and hedonistic Hiercracy, who intend to kill her - because she's preventing their Avatar using his power by existing. The children (well, young adults) get separated and Jason is enlisted into a rebellion, while Liana and and some hand-picked humans are taken back and snuck into the top level of government. among these humans is a random knight - the Arthurian Sir Galahad, plucked by chance and magic into the modern world.

The people and the backgrounds are beautifully drawn, and the book feels like a real work of love (I say 'book', rather than 'books' because only the first one ever made it into a library in New Zealand near me - there are four volumes. But I think they would all be similar). Recommended for readers of Mercedes Lackey and Marion Zimmer Bradley.

The complete series of A Distant Soil

The Fascinating Madame Tussaud

The Fascinating Madame Tussaud:
Expresso Collection by Rene Follet

A historical and biographical graphic novel of a real life person by Rene Follet

Rating: Young adult-adult

Genre / themes: History, French Revolution, Madame Tussaud

Art level: Very good - beautiful art by Rene Follet

Star Rating: 4/5

Number of Books: One

Other notes: The best parts are the art and the history lesson. The storytelling itself is less impressive (limited by translation and possibly by the facts)


Amazon Blurb
Paris, 1793. Marie Crossholz manages the wax museum set up by her father. In exchange for bribes, some executioners allow her to mould the faces of guillotined aristocrats. . . After the French Revolution, Marie Crossholz becomes Mrs. Tussaud. Disappointed by her marriage, she leaves for London with the ambition to create a wax museum there. New struggles and other tumultuous adventures await her. . . Thirty years later, in 1835, she inaugurates the famous Tussaud Museum of Baker Street in London, which today continues to grow with new celebrities and attracts millions of visitors! Publish Post

My Review
This historical graphic novel tells the story of Madame Tussaud's life; it starts in France where she makes wax likenesses of heads, during the Revolution, after which she flees to England and finally establishes her famous waxworks. The story is interesting, historically, but stays true to the original story (which isn't always the best possible plot!). It was originally written in French and it's possibly that it reads better in its original language. The artwork needs no translation, however - it is incredible - expressive, lovely to look at, and perfectly suited.

The story starts off exciting - the young Madame Tussaud tries to keep together the family business in Paris, making wax heads of executed nobles during the Revolution, but then intrigue rears its head and she is forced to flee to England. Here the story meanders somewhat, as Madame Tussaud travels around in a caravan, and grows older, showing off her wax likenesses. However, chance and fortune gives her the chance to open her own display and establish her famous Wax Museum.

I love this for the art, and that's why I'd buy it, if I get the chance.

Freakangels

A steam-punk webcomic of psychic teenagers after Armageddon 

by Warren Elli and Paul Duffield

Freakangels Volume 1 Hardcover
by Warren Ellis & Paul Duffield

Rating: Young adult-adult (violence, nudity)

Genre / themes: Steampunk, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, telepathy

Art level: Good! Full colour, although the colours are generally muted this suits the story

Star Rating: 4.5/5

Number of Books: Ongoing series. Five books published to date.

Other notes: From a webcomic. Won "Favourite Web-Based Comic" Eagle Award and Nominated for "Best Comic/Graphic Novel" British Fantasy Award in 2010. Available in paperback and hardback.

See this series on Amazon
See this series at The Book Depository

"23 years ago, twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. Six years ago, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next."

Freakangels Volume 1
My Review 
Freakangels is a published webcomic, however it was designed for the graphic novel format from the start. A mature story that contains violence, guns, nudity and promiscuity (in the case of one or two characters), Freakangels is amazingly drawn and very well written.

It is the story of the Freakangels - a group of children born with unusual powers, that they used to change the world, and are now trying to cope and make amends by helping hold together a small community after what was effectively the apocalypse. Each of them has their own problems, each is a very distinct personality, and none of them really have any idea of what their powers mean or where they'll end up.

There are books being released regularly, in both hardback and paperback.

The available Freakangels books to date

Paperbacks
 

~$12-14

Hardcovers

~$20

$48 for signed editions