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scans_dailyIt ran originally as part of Micro Machine's " Tezukomi " magazine a few years back - started as a 90th anniversary tribute to the works of Osamu Tezuka (" Tezukomi " -> " Tezuka comics ").
It's Kaneko taking a " [science fiction] story featuring a character with a half-mechanical body " concept he had and combining it with Dororo's Hyakkimaru, hunting the demons that took parts of his body.
The demons are cybernetic " Creatures " - Hyakkimaru's the cyborg Hyaku.
By the second chapter, Hyaku's taken two parts back and her third target's entered the story.
(The solidity of Kaneko's lines really stand out in backgroundless panels - really define the figures in them.)
(You can guess what part he has.)
The gazer and his subordinate exited the museum.
Hyaku moved to confront them..
.. and was diverted.
She chased and caught the thief.
(That's a flashback to Hyaku's second Creature kill.)
Hyaku went off, leaving Doro behind - undeterred.
Elsewhere, the gazer - Gaz, an arms dealer - combined business with pleasure.
Gaz's colleague opined.
(He's not a named character, but he gets a distinct hairstyle and some offhanded cruelty to his credit.)
Gaz indulged in his part.
" Yes..
" These are human eyes. "
The performance and the indulgence therein continued..
.. under Hyaku's gaze.
On another day, in the third chapter, Hyaku stalked Gaz as he went about a deal.
(Doro stalked Hyaku.)
Gaz's minion driver noticed Hyaku overhead.
(They're in a tunnel and that's a turbine for ventilation.)
Hyaku stabbed through the roof - the driver shot back and through at her.
She stumbled, fell and came up again on a passing truck.
There was a conflagration - and Hyaku out of it:
The car turned and turned.
(The partial cropping of the facial expressions adds to the tightness of these panels' view of the scene.)
The shot hit another ceiling turbine, bringing it down - the car spun and turned and tunnel lights shattered.
Gaz was in the dark, nervously unloading his merchandise.
Hyaku watched Gaz straining to see.
He turned and she lunged.
" I've brought..
" .. a little more beauty..
" .. into.. the world.. "
She finished off the Creature that found dying consolation in crying with her eyes.
Doro, thrown from the car, awoke to see Hyaku taking from Gaz's corpse.
Hyaku walked away from the scene..
.. and turned back.
The fourth chapter opened on Doro waking up bandaged in " The old city..? " and exploring.
(Love Doro's low-detail expression.)
Fear hit Doro too.
The robots worked independently of their eyes' gaze.
(This is Hyaku flashing back to her past for a spelling-out of the premise.
Pagecount's 10 and under 1/2 of 32 from Chapter 2, 11 and a little more of 3/4ths of 36 from Chapter 3, and a little more than 3 of 36 from Chapter 4.
The comic's by Atsushi Kaneko - translation's by Ben Applegate. The lettering thereof is Phil Christie.
This is volume one, first of three from Fantagraphics - volume two's coming in March 2025.)
It's Kaneko taking a " [science fiction] story featuring a character with a half-mechanical body " concept he had and combining it with Dororo's Hyakkimaru, hunting the demons that took parts of his body.
The demons are cybernetic " Creatures " - Hyakkimaru's the cyborg Hyaku.
By the second chapter, Hyaku's taken two parts back and her third target's entered the story.
(The solidity of Kaneko's lines really stand out in backgroundless panels - really define the figures in them.)
(You can guess what part he has.)
The gazer and his subordinate exited the museum.
Hyaku moved to confront them..
.. and was diverted.
She chased and caught the thief.
(That's a flashback to Hyaku's second Creature kill.)
Hyaku went off, leaving Doro behind - undeterred.
Elsewhere, the gazer - Gaz, an arms dealer - combined business with pleasure.
Gaz's colleague opined.
(He's not a named character, but he gets a distinct hairstyle and some offhanded cruelty to his credit.)
Gaz indulged in his part.
" Yes..
" These are human eyes. "
The performance and the indulgence therein continued..
.. under Hyaku's gaze.
On another day, in the third chapter, Hyaku stalked Gaz as he went about a deal.
(Doro stalked Hyaku.)
Gaz's minion driver noticed Hyaku overhead.
(They're in a tunnel and that's a turbine for ventilation.)
Hyaku stabbed through the roof - the driver shot back and through at her.
She stumbled, fell and came up again on a passing truck.
There was a conflagration - and Hyaku out of it:
The car turned and turned.
(The partial cropping of the facial expressions adds to the tightness of these panels' view of the scene.)
The shot hit another ceiling turbine, bringing it down - the car spun and turned and tunnel lights shattered.
Gaz was in the dark, nervously unloading his merchandise.
Hyaku watched Gaz straining to see.
He turned and she lunged.
" I've brought..
" .. a little more beauty..
" .. into.. the world.. "
She finished off the Creature that found dying consolation in crying with her eyes.
Doro, thrown from the car, awoke to see Hyaku taking from Gaz's corpse.
Hyaku walked away from the scene..
.. and turned back.
The fourth chapter opened on Doro waking up bandaged in " The old city..? " and exploring.
(Love Doro's low-detail expression.)
Fear hit Doro too.
The robots worked independently of their eyes' gaze.
(This is Hyaku flashing back to her past for a spelling-out of the premise.
Pagecount's 10 and under 1/2 of 32 from Chapter 2, 11 and a little more of 3/4ths of 36 from Chapter 3, and a little more than 3 of 36 from Chapter 4.
The comic's by Atsushi Kaneko - translation's by Ben Applegate. The lettering thereof is Phil Christie.
This is volume one, first of three from Fantagraphics - volume two's coming in March 2025.)
no subject
Date: 2024-10-20 03:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-20 09:23 am (UTC)I just hope it won't become like the comics, where rehashing the past is not a nice little side part of the production, but the majority of it (cough Absolute Ultimate cough). But considering how huge the manga industry is, it's less likely to happen...
Atsushi Kaneko is a great artist with unique art and weird ideas. EVOL, his take on super-heroes, is pretty nice, although the whole "rebelious teenagers turn into villains, and the real heroes are assholes" is a bit overdone.
no subject
Date: 2024-10-20 11:24 pm (UTC)