By Windsor McKay, 1914

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Dororo Vol. 1
By Osamu Tezuka
Published by Vertical Books

A feudal lord enters a mysterious temple during a storm. He has come to bargain with the forty-eight demon statues inside. In exchange for power he offers them each a body part from his unborn son. A monk discovers the scene and is killed by the lord, his death is an offering that seals the pact. The son is born but never shown, his appearance is so gruesome that even the lord is taken aback. The boy that would be known as Hyakkimaru (”hundred demons”) is put in a basket and sent down a river to die.

Dororo tells the story of Hyakkimaru and the titular Dororo, a child bandit with a sordid past of his own, as they wander the countryside slaying demons. Hyakkimaru is aided by his sixth sense (which explains how this deaf, dumb and blind kid gets around) and artificial limbs equipped with a hidden arsenal. It seems outlandish to explain it like that, but the story grows very organically. Tezuka will often break the fourth wall when the plot begins to get far-fetched, as if to personally ask you to suspend your disbelief the way you might ask a neighbor for a cup of sugar. He’s not going to let a little thing like implausibility get in the way of telling a good story; what makes Tezuka’s work masterful is that it never gets in the way of enjoying it, either.

I first read William Gibson’s Neuromancer about six years ago, and it was difficult to shake the images of works it inspired but that I had already seen, like The Matrix and Ghost in the Shell. Similarly, I want to describe Dororo as somewhere between Inu Yasha and Trigun but that seems disgenuine; Tezuka is the trunk of manga’s family tree. His use of drama in this book creates a sense of empathy for the characters so that when the gears switch to horror the impact is greater. And with it’s quick pace it become engrossing almost immediately. I’m eagerly anticipating future volumes.

I keep forgetting to link to this, and I haven’t seen this posted anywhere else. Otaku USA’s Patrick Macias interviewed Stan Lee about his upcoming collaboration with Shaman King creator Hiroyuki Takei called Ultimo. Besides being the name of a bra manufacturer, Ultimo was already the name of an Iron Man villain. The Man is known for many things, but good memory is not one of them.

Lee’s description of the work process with Takei sounds like a variation of the Marvel Method that was responsible for much of Lee’s success at Marvel. After all the bad business decisions he’s been involved in over the last decade, I hope something worthwhile comes of this. Wait, did he say “dream ranch?” That can’t be good…

Life Sucks tells the story of a love-lorn vampire forced to work the late shift at a mini-mart. There’s a 14-page preview online, the characters were engaging and the writing was sharp. Like a Kevin Smith movie, but with less dick jokes. By Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece

The Crayon Shinchan manga (Vol. 2 out this week) is a bit tamer than it’s Adult Swim counterpart. It’s also a bit sweeter, more Dennis the Menace than Eric Cartman. The kid is still a little shit, though. By Yoshito Usui

Salt Water Taffy: The Seaside Adventures of Jack and Benny is a new series about two brothers solving mysteries while on summer vacation in Maine. There’s a Goonies vibe to it, and a generous 34-page prieview online. Special Appearance by Metroid II. By Matthew Loux.

Not actually new, but being offered again: Comics Journal Library Vol. 1 Jack Kirby. This was the first of a planned series of very high-quality (if a bit odd-sized) retrospectives. Contains interviews and essays about the King, and features a wide range of his artwork including never-before seen sketches that Kirby sent home to his wife during WWII.

And the rest: Grant Morisson’s Aztek the Ultimate Man is being collected, alongside Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan’s The Question. Dr. Slump Vol. 15 pushes Nana Vol. 10 in the sandbox the runs away. In case you thought this wasn’t 1991, Marvel’s new Iron Man series has six alternate covers(!!); Secret Invasion #2 feels inferior with it’s four alternate covers. And does anyone have nostalgia for Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters?

Saturday, May 2nd is Free Comic Book Day. You walk into your local comic book store and walk out with free comics. Simple! Here’s a quick look at what you’ll see on Saturday. Not all books will be availible in every store, and there may be a limit to how many you can take. Click on the title for a preview.

Gegika: A Drawn+Quarterly Manga Sampler - Contains excerpts from volumes by Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Seiichi Hayashi. I’m unfamiliar with Hayashi, but I read a collection of Tatsumi stories released last year. It’s brutal depictions of the depths of man’s depravity (by an underground cartoonist who was decades ahead of his time) is just the thing for the manga fan who has seen everything.

All Star Superman #1 - Grant Morrison can breath life into the most barren of franchises and Frank Quietly’s art is beautifully crisp and expressive. Easily one of the best superhero comics of the last decade, and the best Superman comics since Alan Moore left DC. This is the first issue of limited series that has recently wrapped up; one volume has already been collected and the next will most likely be out sometime this fall.

Gumby’s Coloring Comic Book Special - Don’t pass this up because it looks like kid’s stuff. The Gumby comics are written by Bob Burden (best know for Flaming Carrot and Mystery Men) and feature charming and mildly trippy artwork.

Also look promising: I.G.N.A.T.Z.: International Graphic Novels at Their Zenith, E.C. Comics Sampler, Maximum Ride Vol 1, Neotopia, Hellboy/B.R.P.D.

For the kids: Bongo Comics Free-For-All!, Sonic the Hedgehog #1, Tiny Titans #1, Gyro Gearloose, Marvel Adventures Iron Man, Owly and Friends, Shonen Jump Sampler

It’s free for you, but your local Comic Book Guy does have to pay for them. So why not pick something up while you’re there? Look at this way: it’s the only day of the year you can spend ten bucks and walk away with a stack of comics. Man, Secret Wars was a loooong time ago…

Look on the bright side: most weeks there won’t be enough good new releases to bother with.

Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo is a supernatural adventure series about a boy who must recover 48 of his body parts from 48 devils. There’s a generous preview available online. Tezuka can make gore seem brutally charming. If anyone has played the PS2 adventure game based on this series, let me know if it’s worth tracking down. Thoreau at Walden is a departure for mini-comics king John Porcellino; a thoroughly researched children’s book about Henry David Thoreau. Wordless Books is a collection of early twentieth century woodprints, some of the earliest examples of sequential art. Gon is more than just a Tekken unlockable. It’s a silent, beautifully illustrated series about the most kick-ass theropod this side of Devil Dinosaur. And he’s back in print with Vol 4. released this week. Dave Sim marks his return to comics with Glamourpuss, which combines eighties fashion with straw (wo)man arguements. The artwork is gorgeous, but I expect the writing to be tedious. I hope to get my hands on it! I always look forward to the new Usagi Yojimbo, one of American comics best kept secrets. While it usually costs me three bucks to remember everything that’s messed-up about superhero comics, DC Universe Zero will do it for only fifty cents. No, you’re not having a flashback, they just can’t think of anything new: Youngblood #3, Marvel Comics Presents #8, New Warriors #11. No love for Darkhawk? And this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, I’ll be taking a look at the availble titles later in the week.

Support your local comics shop! Unless it sucks, then don’t!