Kazuo Koike’s COLOR OF RAGE manga

COLOR OF RAGE is a 400+ page manga published by Dark Horse, retailing for US$14.95, rated for 18+ Mature Audiences due to explicit violence, nudity and some sexual situations.

Written by Kazuo Koike, best known for his Lone Wolf & Cub and Lady Snowblood series, with art by Seisaku Kano.

Color of Rage presents the ongoing story of two slaves that manage to free themselves from a slave ship, washing up upon the shore of an Edo-era Japan in the year 1783. George is a Japanese man of considerable skill with a sword, and he is joined by his strong African-American buddy King, as they trek towards George’s village, where he hasn’t been home for over a decade.

The geographic area has recently suffered the effects of a volcano eruption, which caused a chain reaction of events that has brought much environmental devastation and social upheaval. Many peasant villages have either been deserted or destroyed.

Along their travelling, George and King fight various injustice they come across, defending the less fortunate, as well as protecting their own liberties for those that would do them harm. Often, it is George that is moral compass for the actions our two travelers take.

I like the structure of the book, being split up into little moral vignettes, but the overall story of these two unlikely brothers journey continues on. Their is plenty of racial subtext in the script, but I feel the characters mostly had basic moral dilemmas to decide upon, regardless of race.

This is a great manga, a real joy to read, despite some of the situtions being quite unrealistic and fantastic. Sure, it’s sometimes silly, and there were times I laughed out loud for moments that probably wasn’t intending to be humorous. Make no mistake, this is 100% pure PULP manga, and luckily that’s the kind of stuff I love to read the most!

I’m increasingly enjoying Dark Horse presentation of their acquired manga, as they show great respect to the artform and great value for money, also.

8 out of 10.

Kannazuki no Miko #1 (of 2) GN

Kannazuki no Miko is a sci-fi/romance manga series published by Tokyopop, that has spawned a popular anime TV series adaptation.

I’m not usually a fan of sci-fi manga, as I’ve often found this genre difficult to follow and hectic. Sadly, Kannazuki no Miko: Destiny of Shrine Maiden doesn’t improve too much different from those prior experiences.

The art by Kaishaku is quite messy, and made the story difficult to follow and even a chore to read at times.

The major attraction to this series is the yuri relationship between the leading girls Himeko and Chikane, and their connection is, at least, the main aspect of the storyline.

The back cover states this manga to be MATURE 18+, and may include Explicit Sexuality, Sexual Full Body Nudity, Mild Gore and Explicit Fanservice. I feel that this Age rating by Tokyopop is excessive, as nothing in this first volume goes to the level such a warning rating would suggest.

However, the final few pages of volume 1 certainly would fit within “mild gore” and “SLIGHT sexuality”. Of course, the events in volume 2 might be the reason by this high age rating for the series overall.

So, will I be back for volume 2? Well, probably yes, as volume 2 does complete this story. However, I feel that I might be better off seeking the anime version, instead.

6 out of 10.

SUNDOME #2 (of 4) GN

I purchased the second volume of the SUNDOME manga published by Yen Press, and though it is more of the same, it proves to be even better than the first volume.

Sexy Kurumi continually teases Hideo to the brink of orgasm, and occasionally to the other side, in an intriguing game of cat and mouse. Make no mistake, their relationship is certainly master/slave, but this doesn’t stop Hideo from hoping for something more, despite the numerous humiliating situations Kurumi puts him through.

I really like this manga, even though it’s mostly a big tease, there is also a genuine heart to the story and the characters.

The art by Kazuto Okada is superb, the English translation from Christine Schilling is really wonderful, presenting a funny, honest and thoughtful interpretation of the script.

Sigh, now I have to wait a few more months for the next volume…

8 out of 10.

SPIDER-MAN “Brand New Day” hardcover

Spider-Man “Brand New Day” hardcover contains the 2007 Free Comic Book Day issue and issues #546 to #551 of Amazing Spider-Man.

Straight up, the hardcover provides the reader with a 2-page splash presented as…

The New Status Quo!

* Peter Parker dated Mary-Jane but never married. After their break-up, MJ moved to California to pursue an acting career.

* Gwen Stacy is still dead.

* Harry Osborn does not remember he was the Green Goblin, but Peter Parker does! Harry and Peter are best friends.

* Aunt May lives at the old house in Queens, and Peter still lives with her.

* Peter Parker has no money and no job, but it considering getting back into photography.

* NO ONE knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Even though Spider-Man unmasked to the public during Civil War, no one can recall the face under the mask! This also includes other super-heroes.

* Spider-Man’s web-shooters are once again mechanical, with his webbing only lasting an hour before disintegrating.

Ok, now we have that out of the way, let’s get into the hardcover. It begins with Dan Slott’s FCBD “Swing Shift” issue, which introduces new character Jackpot, who is a registered superhero working in New York. Jackpot is a red-haired female who likes to say “Tiger” a lot! Homage or something more? Time will tell.

“Swing Shift” is also the start of the storyline that will run through “Brand New Day”, with the baddie Mister Negative making life difficult for Spider-Man. Oh, and there seems to be another Goblin hopping about!

This hardcover is enjoyable, and a good reboot of the character for both new readers or readers that have not read Spider-Man for years.

However, as fun as the book is to read, I would have liked a lot more humor, and the writing (Dan Slott on #546-#548, Guggenheim #549-551) is for the most part predictable and by-the-numbers.

It’s too early to suggest that Spider-Man is back on track, but it’s a good start, and the possibilities for the character are once more limitless, so I guess that’s what Joe Quesada and Marvel always really wanted, anyway.

7 out of 10.