Father Geek here with Scott and our newest update on the everchanging worlds of Anime & Manga. As usual this edition of our regular weekly column contains all you need, or could want to know about what's happening in the manga and anime fields, sooooo kick back and prepare to dive into...

AnimAICN...

by Scott Green

Anime Spotlight: Space Pirate Captain Herlock The Endless Odyssey: Outside Legend Volume 1: The Legend Returns

To be Released by Geneon/Pioneer February 3rd

The Endless Odyssey is the latest anime incarnation of Leiji Matsumoto's most recognizable and enduring creation: Captain Herlock. The striking scarred yet gallant figure grew out of Matsumoto's post World War II experiences. From the memories of those times of defeat, acute scarcity, and potential for hopelessness, he created a standard of endurance and freedom, who flies a skull and crossbones banner not as a call for fear, but as a pledge to fight until bones are all that remain. He stands as an emblem grim present yet hope to work for a better future.

The Endless Odyssey pits in the existential warrior against original sin. The story opens in the later days of Herlock's career. He's gone missing, presumed dead by many in a society that is hoping to close the outlaw days of its expansion into space. The active members of his cadre are being rounded up by authorities while others wither as castaways in seedy holes of distant worlds. One of these dive worlds is Rubbish Heaps, which is also the home of Tadashi Daiba, a street thug who has begun to butt heads with the Yazuka.

Over the past few years Tadashi has become estranged from his father, who returned as the soul survivor of a lost exploratory expedition, only to cut himself off from the world by continuing his research in a virtual university. Herlocke reappears under the shadow of a new threat, and informs Tadashi "If you want to become a real man, come aboard my ship".

The new threat, which Herlocke and Tadashi's father were awaiting is the Noo, a spirit that dwelled in the chaos of early existence, which infect species who have expended too greatly into space.

An all star staff, including a script by frequent Satoshi Kon collaborator Sadayuki Murai (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress), direction by Taro Rin (aka Rintaro of Metropolis), and character design by Nobuteru Yuuki (Escaflowne, Heat Guy J) build a brilliant series in Leiji Matsutomoto's operatic tradition.

Herlock's enemies have never been as memorable as his allies. The Noo will not completely rebuke this tradition, but within the context of the series, they are established as a worthy adversaries, that hold equal spiritual weight.

Re-awakened ancient evil has to be one of the safest foes to invoke, but the prospect of showdown Herlocke and the Devil crackles with possibility, The foreboding shots the Noo are some of the anime's most intensely chilling since Berserk. Herlock is a large iconic character, who can overpowered situations, yet the Noo are imbued with enough malevolence to make a conflict with Herlock interesting.

There is a nice at this here in a situation shows the danger of the character by paying with the pull of Herlock's ideals where he is trapped by his own nobility. In this case his instincts toward freedom and self sacrifice potentially collapse on each other. He attempts to free his compatriots before dealing with the Noo. He doesn't which to take them on his mission and put them in danger, but if he lets them go they'll be captured again.

For all animation's possibilities, it can sometime be conservative with is backdrops. Complexity and variety can be a lot of work. Endless Odsessy is a play that move between outstanding set pieces. It is constantly painting new locales, and maximizing their effect, then abandoning or destroying them as needed. From the last lament of in AI in fading remains of Tadashi's father's virtual university to the alien ruins that house Herlock's ship, the Arcadia and his showdown with human and supernatural forces, the series builds its action on the strong foundation of locations with resonance.

Herlock has always walked a fine line between high melodrama and outright silliness. Throughout Arcadia of My Youth, a movie version of one of Herlock's origins, the truly bizarre concepts and their deadly earnest presentation could as easily cause outbursts of laughter as they a tightening of the gut (depending on viewer and mood). Endless Odyssey holds a straight face while knowing when to be fun. With a nonchalance it treats the outrageous as if it was to be expected. Of course Herlock is going to pull out a rapier barrel pistol and shoot the incarnation of evil through the head, of course his ship is going to ram into a space station with a giant blade, of course a fleet of plastic World War I and II model fighter jet with be used to harry laser batteries. Herlock has also gone for effect over logic and science, and Endless Odyssey revels in this.

Herlock is better known as Harlock. Both spellings have appeared on official material released an Japan, and can be considered officially correct, though Harlock may be a better fit for the Japanese or English pronunciation of the name. For a character with as many lives as Herlock, who is altered slightly, or radically from incarnation to incarnation, two official spellings seems appropriate.

He's a bit like Superman, a character with certain cornerstones in his history (Kryton, Smallville, Metropolis, the Kents and Lex Luther for Superman, The Deathshadow, the Arcadia, the engineer Tochiro and the pirate queen Emeraldas for Herlock), and a known final form (blue, red, cape, truth justice and the American way for Superman, black, white, scar, eyepatch, and freedom for Herlock), but room for variation in the between, though some of Herlock's outliers are wilder than the Man of Steel's. There's no evidence of a Dread Pirate Roberts happening, but various stories, including this one have shown similar looking replacements being groomed to take over for Herlocke.

He's been the lost brother of a crew member of the Yamoto (of Slayerblazers), a space navel captain who scuttled his ship and went rogue after earth's occupation, a wanderer who has returned to save earth, a mysterious outsider, even a villain mastermind. Other incarnations have been World War II pilots, and western gunslingers. The character has likely expanded beyond Matsumoto's wavering unified connection.

Endless Odyssey fits nearly fits in the continuity of the Herlock manga and television series from the 70's, his crew has fought the plant creature Mazone, though Tadashi's (who has had a number of incarnations in his own right) parallel introduction in both series invalidates a unified time line.

Though there isn't an impact of the finished product released by Geneon, Endless Odyssey has had a rocky history worth noting. Though it was released as a direct to video OVA, it was envisioned as a television series for the Anime Theater X satellite network. Production was halted when Leiji Matsuomoto discovered the star of David featured prominently as the adversary's weapon. The religious impropriety of the associate the ultimate evil with Judaism flew in the face of his personal philosophy, and the offending design was altered.

Religious sensitivity appears to be making it way into anime, possibly due to personal objections like Matsumoto's, but also maybe due to commercial considerations as foreign licensing has begun to weigh in the minds of anime producers. With series being produced with western licensing in mind, companies likely have taken note of a number of controversies that have cropped up over imported Japanese material. The most prominent example is use of the manji symbol, the Buddhist precursor to the swastika (generally its arms pointing counter-clockwise direction, though it can be depicted with clockwise arms like the swastika ). Several characters who feature the symbol prominently, in significant but less offensive context's include ones in Naruto or One Piece have had the symbol altered to a more benign ones in the characters' transition from manga to anime.

The manji, which was later co-opted by the Nazis has no inherent anti-Semitic meaning, and positive connotations, yet it is hard to ignore its twentieth century, and modern associations. For all the honorable, non-Nazi history of the manji character, the frequency, and often casualness in which it turns up in manga, particularly in works set in modern times, can be a little disturbing. While Japan has a negligible Jewish population, it is hard not to question whether a line of insensitivity beyond political non-correctness is crossed.

Manga Spotlight: Planetes Volume 02 By Makoto Yukimura

Released by TOKYOPOP

Planetes is quickly gaining a deserved reputation as a new manga classic. From award nominations in France, to constant raving buzz in the US Planetes it has spread like international wildfire. The mix of hard science fiction, and humanity, crafted by a creator who has taken the time to perfect his work (the series has been released at an unconventional rate in Japan, which is only one volume ahead of the domestic release), make Planetes THE manga to anticipate.

The second volume of Planetes has shifted focus from dangerous jobs on the edge of human colonized space to preparation for the next arm of exploration / exploitation. Hachimaki's (Hachi) goal is to own his own space craft, a rare feet in the days where humanity has established a presence on the moon, and is preparing for an expedition to Jupiter. His first step was to work as a debris collector, clearing the natural or man-made detritus around Earth and the moon. The next step is to earn a spot on the first manned trip to Jupiter. Ostensibly aimed at establishing a system of mining heavy hydrogen and helium for power, the mission is driven by men who look to space to fill personal needs, and opposed by, often violent, factions hoping to prevent humanity from repeating its mistakes.

Volume two features less of the unglamorous yet essential debris collecting. It was the ultimate blue collar work that stretches the physical and mental abilities to the limit, and an avenue for a variety of great worker on the edge stories. It could have sustained a longer focus, but instead the series has moved on. The complex, fascinating, and to a degree more mundane lives Fee and Yuri have taken a back seat to the more conventional, singly minded driven hero Hachi. While the relegation of their broader perspectives to background voices is a loss, and the pin point focused protagonist looking to the be the best is dirty common material for manga, Planete's speculative look at the pathfinder's dilemma is a mentally and emotionally fulfilling experience. Explorering new domains always offers new outlets for a mix of greed, personal ambition and wonder. Planetes' parallels to the European exploration of the world, or American exploration of the west aren't lost on its characters or society.

Hachi faces the frontiersman's dilemma: they're engaging in a love that will ultimately make it possible for their way of live to be ended.

The volume also introduces a new member to Hachi's crew. Tanabe, who provides an emotional counterpoint to Hachi's headstrong rush towards progress, and extenuate, or maybe hyper extenuates the sentiments of those left behind.

Though Planetes' examination of human desire and consequence sets it outside the bounds of any snap shot of political or technological development, the resent American policy shift to a return to the moon with an eye to Mars adds relevence to this story of a point where humanity has accomplished those goals, and looks towards the next. Regardless of opinions on the motivations or feasibility of the current endeavor, a work dramatizing both the scientific and moral challenges of the mission is significant On a more general scope, the volume forwards the ethical considerations behind any move towards progress.

The volume contains an untranslated poem by beloved Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa, known to anime fans for providing the source to Night on the Galactic Railroad, and inspiring Spring and Chaos. There are reasons to not translated Japan text that appears in manga, but some presentation of the content of this poem should have been present (setting aside the possibility that it TOKYOPOP couldn't or didn't license it, in which case at least a title and end noted description would have been appropriate). Graphically, what's there it works. Fitting in translated text is this context is the kind of job Tokyopop eschews (as exemplified by sound effect, and more notably their problematic localization of title pages) Content wise, its a gapping hole. Beyond the fact that the prospect of some translated Kenji Miyazawa is highly enticing, there is every indication that Makoto Yukimura is a deliberate creator, and if it was present, there was a reason. It's as if Kubrick used some Dylan Thomas verse as a transition, and the translators decided not to include a translation. While translating poetry can be tricky, it has been done for manga (ie Studio Proteus' work on the first volume of Blade of the Immortal). At least a best effort in the appendix seems appropriate.

Manga Spotlight: Icaro Volume 1 Written by Moebius Illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi

Released by inooks

Europe, and France in particular has its own rich comic tradition, that's distinct in many ways from the American or Japanese. Icaro is a stellar meld of French comics and Japanese manga from Moebius (Jean Giraud), best known for his design work in Tron, Blade Runner, Fifth Element, Aliens (his western Blueberry has recently been adapted into a to be released live action movie), and manga artist Jiro Taniguchi (Benkei in New York, Samurai Legend). While many manga series are well constructed, Icaro has an exceptional artistry that sets it apart.

Icaro is a rare find, a beautiful and captivating short story work (two volumes in total), breathtaking and sexual. The frequently dreamlike story opens with a pregnant woman descending from the heavens, through the atmosphere. Meanwhile in the blood stream of commuters flowing through the city below, a malignant few go unnoticed. The veins bulge of these black eyed individuals and they begin to psychically self detonate. The pregnant woman is soon falling towards a city pockmarked with expositions and fires. The baby is born with his umbilical cord wrapped around his throat. After being resuscitated, the child begins to float.

Icaro spends the next twenty years sequestered in an aviary like government institute with scientists who experiment on him, and deny the smallest hints of the outside world. Despite his, he is a smiling, curious individual.

The visual impact of Icaro leverages both the headiness of the European comic sci-fi tradition and the explosiveness of manga. Its staggering detail creates an immersive environment. Even when it is read slowly to pick apart and analyze the images, sum total of the nuances still shout back with a visceral grandeur impossible to ignore. The architectural detail is reminiscent a David Macaulay examinations. Characters are clothes with apparel that demands attention to its intricacy.

Jiro Taniguchi's illustration struggles with standing posture and foot or leg movement. His faces and expressions capture humanity, but when motion is factored into an illustration it appears that he has to fight convey naturalness. In Icaro, occasionally a posture looks off place, but generally the work is a able to minimize this deficiency. When motion is needed, in the flight of the character Icaro, or his descending mother, his is able to convey an effective, unique appearance to the movements.

The illustration also features a rare tactile human connectedness in the interaction. Scenes of lesbian intimacy or a haircut have a complexity and mystery that invites as much notice and examination as Icaro's flight, or the architectural grandeur.

There's a caged bird motif, that rings loudly with repeated sharp strikes, but there is also a grew deal of quieter ambiguity that leave doubt as to how much is splitting hairs, how much is artistic limitations (continuity and composure at war), and how much is hinting at something more. Examination of the opening reveals a number of abnormalities. The narrative shows a progression of Icaro's mother descending towards the city, and waking up as she descends. Shapshots of the city are inserted in the beginning, the explosive attach is spliced into the middle, and the a shot of the delivery invades near the tail end of the progression. On face value the jumps are clear, and the scene captures a movie quick cut feel. What's ambiguous is that fall's progression of waking state and the attack on the city. There are two parallel full page illustrations: first Icaro's unconscious mother above a city at the point of impact from the explosions, second the beginning of the birth. Subsequent depictions of the descent don't show evidence of the explosions. Occum's razor would have it that Jiro Taniguchi didn't illustrated explosions and damages in the remain panels, or even that she fell towards and uneffected section of the city, but the illustration is so rich that it is hard not to examine the lighting as she fells through the atmosphere, the clouds, and even the shadows for evidence of something more. Much of Icaro can be second guessed as non-literal or non-sequential. The less that is taken as face value, and the more the is examined, the more Icaro doesn't seem like a simple caged bird parable.

This Week's Release

Anime

• The Big O II - Paradigm Lost (Vol. 1)
• Final Fantasy Unlimited:Phase 3
• Hamtaro 5: Ham-Ham Valentine
• Nuku Nuku Dash:Mode 3
• Orphen Season 2:Revenge Vol 2
• Pokémon Heroes ~
• S-Cry-Ed - Aftershocks (Vol. 4)
• Super Gals - Look Out! Love Is Dangerous! (Vol. 4)
• Yu Yu Hakusho:Terrible Truths Vol 20

Manga

• Blade Of The Immortal #86
• Bow Wow Wata Vol 1 Tp
• Ceres Celestial Legend Vol 2 Tp 2Nd Ed Yuhi
• Ceres Celestial Legend Vol 6 Tp Shuro
• Di Gi Charat Vol 3 Gn Viz Ed
• Flame Of Recca Vol 4 Tp
• Flowers And Bees Vol 2 Tp
• Gundam The Origin #9
• Maison Ikkoku Vol 3 Tp 2Nd Ed
• Ranma 1/2 Tp Vol 7 2Nd Ed
• Ranma 1/2 Tp Vol 8 2Nd Ed

Soundtracks

• Fooly Cooly (Furi Kuri) Original Sound Track (OST) 1
• His and Her Circumstances Act 1.0
• Neon Genesis Evangelion OST 1

Upcoming on Cartoon Network

Starting April 17 Cartoon Network will be expanding their Adult Swim block to six nights a week. Upcoming addition include FUNimation's Detective Conan and Animatrix, in addition to the previously none Wolf's Rain, Witch Hunter Robin, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Complex.

Wolf's Rain, and new episodes of new episodes of Inu-Yasha may air in April.

Bandai has announced that Gundam Seed will also air on Cartoon Network starting this April.

Live Action Witch Hunter Robin Confirmed

From AnimeNation : Mr. Joe Menosky, writer and producer for TV series including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and The Dead Zone, has contacted AnimeNation with confirmation that last Friday, January 16th, the Sci-Fi Channel closed a deal with Sunrise Studios of Japan to remake Witch Hunter Robin as a live-action American television series. Mr. Menosky will write the series and executive produce along with Mr. Roy Lee (who licensed the remake of "Ring") and his business partner Doug Davison.

According to Mr. Menosky, "There may or may not be an announcement in the Hollywood tradepapers -- which tend to wait until a pilot script is completed, greenlit for production, with director and actors attached before they consider a television series worthy of mention. But given the focus of AnimeNation, I thought you might find the project of interest."

Tamala 2010 in US Theatres

Jagged Team reports Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space will be shown in Landmark Theaters April 2nd through 8th. Anime Jump has a negative, but interesting review of the movie here

Live Action Devil Man Images

Dark Horizons points out new images of the live action version Devilman's adversary Sirene here

New Mousou Dairinin Trailer

A new trailer for Satoshi Kon's (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers) Mousou Dairinin can be seen here

Dark Horse Announces Samurai Executioner from Lone Wolf Creators

Dark Horse Comics has announced plans to publish Samurai Executioner, the precursor series to the legendary ronin saga Lone Wolf and Club. Coming from the same award-winning creative team of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Samurai Executioner will be released as a ten volume series scheduled to begin in June 2004.

Before Koike and Kojima created the unforgettable Lone Wolf and Cub character Itto Ogami, they brought to life Kubikiri Asa, better known to Lone Wolf and Cub readers as Decapitator Asaemon. In the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Decapitator Asaemon, equal in ability to Itto, was known as the bearer of the sword Onibocho and was the man in charge of testing weapons for the shogun. The Samurai Executioner series is based on the Decapitator, chronicling his life before his fateful duel with Lone Wolf.

"For the past fifteen years Dark Horse Comics has been a leader in bringing the highest quality manga to the world," commented Dark Horse President Mike Richardson. "We are proud to present another masterwork from the creators of the greatest manga saga ever, Lone Wolf and Cub. Fans of that series, and fans of manga in general, will revel in this early work from Koike and Kojima."

Lone Wolf and Cub is a 28 volume series of trade paperbacks and was released in the U.S. for the first time in its entirety by Dark Horse Comics. The series was a smash hit both with manga fans and comics fans in general and set the standard for the presentation of this type of work.

Samurai Executioner features the same legendary drama, frantic action, stoic samurai stature, exemplary art, and storytelling that made Lone Wolf and Cub one of the most popular and influential comic books in history!

Samurai Executioner by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima is a ten volume series scheduled to arrive June 2004. It will be presented in the Lone Wolf and Cub 4 x 6 format with a similar price point expected.

Ikebukuro West Gate Park From Digital Manga

Digital Manga, who produced the Berserk, Trigun and Ring translations distributed by Dark Horse, has announced on their website that they will be releasing Ikebukuro West Gate Park.

From their description:

Based on the phenomenally popular live action Japanese television series, Ikebukuro West Gate Park is a very hip urban drama that takes place in Tokyo's trendy district of Ikebukuro, focusing around the troublesome Makoto. Filled with all the big city thrills and ills, involving sex, drugs, murder, and everything one can imagine blended with a touch of humor, this is a must-read series for all fans of Japanese manga and pop culture

Megumi Hayashibara is Pregnant

Popular j-pop singer and anime voice actress Megumi Hayashibara announced on her January 10 that she is pregnant. As one of the most popular and recognizable voice actresses, both in the Japan and the US, her career has including Slayer's Lina Inverse, Evangelion's Rei among its many roles.

Upcoming CPM Releases

Anime... 4/6/04

Black Jack Volume 2

Spirit Warrior Volume 4 Castle of Illusion

Arcade Gamer Fubuki, Birdy The Mighty: Double Trouble, and Cyber City: Time Bomb will be released March 9th.

Arcade Game Fubuki Collector's Series DVD loaded with special features priced at $29.99 (SRP) as well as two action packed adventures, Birdy The Mighty: Double Trouble and Cyber City: Time Bomb, from Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the director of The Animatrix Segment Program. Each DVD is priced at $19.99 (SRP).

Arcade Gamer Fubuki

From the screenwriter of Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne: The Movie and the animation director of RahXephon. Fubuki is a girl whose only goal in life is to be the best at arcade games. Fubuki is a whiz with special super-powers. When an evil organization steals her powers to gain world domination, she and her friends must battle the wackiest bunch of video game villains.

Birdy The Mighty: Double Trouble

From the director of X: The TV Series, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Ninja Scroll, and Cyber City Oedo. Birdy is a beautiful space cop whose job just went from bad to worse. While hunting down an alien felon, Birdy accidentally kills Tsutomu, a mild mannered high school student. To save his life, she is forced to time-share his body. Now, the unlikely duo must track down a drug that turns humans into hideous psychic monsters.

Cyber City: Time Bomb

From the director of X: The TV Series, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and Ninja Scroll. An evil genius has seized the city's tallest skyscraper, and 50,000 people are trapped inside. Their only hope: a team of convicts turned cops who are in hot pursuit of their criminal brethren. Each member is rigged with a collar set to explode if they don't cooperate. If they don't rescue the hostages within 24 hours, the collars will detonate, and thousands more will die.

According to Anime on DVD the first episode of World of Narue will be released individually on a $7.99 "Test Drive" DVD that includes a $10 mail-in-rebate toward the cost of the entire series boxed set. At the same time, all 12 episodes plus extensive supplemental material will be released in a single 4 disc digipack set retailing at $79.99 on April 6th.

Other upcoming test drive releases include Revolutionary Girl Utena, Descendents of Darkness and Slayers.

Manga:

Comic Party Book 1-Party Time!, Treasure Hunter Book 1 and Dark Angel Book 2 will be released in April.

Comic Party Book 1-Party Time! which is the only anthology series actually drawn by independent manga artists and gives the reader a glimpse into the madness and mayhem involved in becoming a manga-ka (manga artist). The other April releases include, Treasure Hunter Book 1, an action and adventure story from the creator of the popular Alien Nine series and the newly reformatted and re-priced fantasy adventure Dark Angel Book 2 from revered artist Kia Asamiya. All graphic novels will be available at $9.99 (SRP) in April.

COMIC PARTY BOOK 1-PARTY TIME!

Writers and artists: Hakone Odawara, Seneka Wakujyu, Hitomi Umemoto, et al.

Can a group of young, borderline-talented artists churn out their independent comics before the big festival? Will they ever have a hit? And more importantly, what yaoi couple will they draw? Street date: April 14, 2004

TREASURE HUNTER BOOK 1

Story and art by Hitoshi Tomizawa, creator of the Alien Nine series.

Jubei lives for adventure. When he is hired by a mysterious woman to retrieve a mystical food that grants eternal youth. Jubei thinks it's a simple job until he finds out the secret of the special ingredient. Follow the action packed adventures of Jubei.the treasure hunter! Street date: April 7, 2004

DARK ANGEL BOOK 2

Original story and art by Kia Asamiya, artist of Uncanny X-Men and Batman: Child of Dreams. Dark must face three great challenges that will confirm him as a Phantom Saint: a skilled human martial arts opponent, a magical demon, and a rite of passage in the Underworld. Dark Angel Book 2 is scheduled to be re-released in the popular smaller format and at a reduced price. Street date: April 21, 2004

Japanese Release Completions and Delays

From Anime News Network Pproduction has been completed on the first episode of the new Bandit Jing King direct to video OAV. The episode was to have been released in 2003.

According to Bandai's website, it appears that they have delayed .hack//SIGN - Terminus Limited Edition. Originally scheduled for March 2nd, the Limited Edition is now listed for March 16th. The regular edition is still listed for March 2nd.

The Japanese releases of the final four episodes of Wolf's Rain have been delayed. DVD volume 9 with episodes 27 and 28 has been delayed until February 7th, and volume 10 with the last two episodes has been delayed without any new date announced.

Burn Up Scramble Licensed?

Anime on DVD is reporting that Geneon Entertainment (USA) is listed as a producer in the credits for the new Burn-Up Scramble television series.

ADV Chrono Crusade Release

ADV will be Chrno Crusade manga series as Chrono Crusade starting in May 2004.

April/May Dark Horse Releases

(Including Trigun Maximum and Ring 2, and Kia Asamiya on Hellboy)

Hellboy: Weird Tales #8,

Will be the final issue of the anthology, will feature work by manga artist Kia Asimiya.

April 14

The Ring Volume 2 Tpb By Takashi Hiroshi and Meimu.

The fabulously creepy story of The Ring takes a side step from the plot of the original Japanese film, taking the reader into life after all that tragedy and mystery. And guess what? Sadako, the psychic killer, isn't so easily disposed of. Beautifully illustrated by the adept Meimu, The Ring Volume 2 takes the reader into the life of Mai Takano, after her beloved Professor Ryuji is killed by Sadako. Adding to the sci-fi element, both Mai and little Yoichi, son of Ryuji and Reiko, have developed psychic powers and are often haunted by the powerful Sadako. This thick volume of material presents sci-fi action and horror reminiscent of Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist. 192 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on May 12.

Trigun Maximum Vol. 1: The Hero Returns Tpb Written and art by Yasuhiro Nightow.

As an anime series, Trigun gained a multitude of fans across the otaku landscape, before gaining a burgeoning mainstream manga audience. Now, Trigun Maximum goes beyond the story available in the anime and the first two top selling manga volumes. The hero Vash the Stampede disappeared for two years after blasting a crater onto the moon above the desert planet he saved from annihilation. But with good people and bad alike trying to track him down, he won't stay lost for long. Count on more crazy gunslinger action, new dastardly villains...and a new outfit, to boot. 192 pages, black and white, $13.95.

3 X 3 Eyes Volume 8: Descent Of The Mystic City Tpb

Collecting stories from Super Manga Blast! issues #32-40 288 pages, black and white, $18.95, in stores on May 5.