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Conflict 1: No More Noise a six-part series produced by Studio Proteus for 30 pages $2.95 each issue
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 With the successful commercial theatrical release of Masamune Shirow's manga-inspired movie GHOST IN THE SHELL, U.S. anime fans have been clamoring for more work by Shirow. Creator and artist of the well known manga series APPLESEED, Masamune Shirow's style has come to be known as intricately detailed, action-packed and usually in a cyberpunk vein. As part of their Manga comics line, Dark Horse Comics is providing what Shirow fans want: a six-part DOMINION TANK POLICE series titled "Conflict 1: No More Noise." This manga has all the signatures of
Shirow: an embattled city of the future, a high-tech police department
besieged by crime and lots and lots of state-of-the-art weaponry. The
six-part story follows the feisty and strong-willed Sergeant Leona Ozaki
and the special police squad she leads: a group of misfits (naturally!)
equipped with mini patrol tanks. Of course, being a Shirow story,
there's political intrigue, department in-fighting, and lots of action.
Much emphasis is placed on the intrigue and suspense of the story, so
one has to pay attention while reading it.One aspect of DOMINION that sets it apart from other Shirow manga
series is that it is heavily laced with comedy. In fact, it is one of
the major highlights of the series. Everything from Leona's hot temper
(resulting in her shooting lots and lots of bullets) to the matchmaker
Inspector Totate of the traffic department (she tries to set up
everybody in the police department), to all the little snide comments
that Dark Horse Comics thoughtfully kept in add up to create an opera of
comedy. Sure, cool girls with neat guns is still a major factor of the
series but DOMINION, with its comedy, has more to
offer than just that.Dark Horse Comics, as with all their other
Manga comics, has kept DOMINION in its original
black and white form. Credit must be given to the American staff of
DOMINION for an excellent job of translating and
transforming the manga series into U.S. standards. Letterer and
retoucher Tom Orzechowski goes above and beyond the call of duty by
being able keep intact all the side comments many of the characters
make, especially in the detail-enriched environments that Shirow
provides.With three issue out of six already in the
stands, Shirow fans who are just now discovering Dark Horse Comic's
DOMINION manga series should scramble to find
them before they sell out in order to keep on top of things within the
story. People just discovering anime and manga because of GHOST IN THE SHELL will also be interested
in buying this title. DOMINION is a good example
of Japanese manga that has a good balance between drama, action and
comedy.--Ken Cho |
