A fiery, blonde swordswoman princess fighting a powerful alien-looking emperor. Sound familiar? Certainly, if the lead is Princess Kahm, the powerful empire is the Santovasku, and the emperor is her own father who she is defying. So, it should come as no surprise that DRAKUUN, the latest translated manga title from Dark Horse, is also by Manabe Johji, who is probably more well known for his OUTLANDERS series, also a Dark Horse title.
It is the year 2077 on some unnamed planet. The Romulinian Empire is at war with an alliance of rebel states for control of the Griffell continent. Imperial forces have concentrated their forces on Ledomiam, the linchpin of the alliance states. Overwhelmed and outnumbered, the tiny kingdom sues for peace, and thus this series begins.
In the Romulinian imperial capital of Belgorand, the emissary from Ledomiam has come to sign the peace treaty with the Emperor Gustav, an evil, hulking, squid-like mass of enormous tentacles and flesh. The emissary is Karula, Dragon Princess of Ledomiam and a perfect clone for OUTLANDERS Kahm, right down to the massive sword and the very similar looking body armor.
Karula is commander-in-chief of the Ledomiam armed forces, and her mission of peace is just a sham. She has used the occasion of the treaty signing as an opportunity to assassinate Emperor Gustav, coordinated with a surprise attack on the imperial capital. Naturally, it is the failure of her plan that drives the story in the beginning. Ledomiam's attack falters because crucial reinforcements never arrive, and imperial forces quickly turn the tide; in five short days, the empire has surrounded the capital city and is prepared to storm the royal palace. Before the final attack, Karula's elder sister and newly ascendent chief of state, Crown Princess Rosalia orders Karula into hiding. Karula feels that this is cowardice, but Rosalia reminds her that she is still the leader of the armed forces and entrusts her to continue the war against the Romulinian Empire after Ledomiam falls.
After two volumes of this (read: two original manga chapters), there does not appear to be any unique premise or interest grabber. There is nothing actually wrong or flawed with the plot, but there is nothing that stands out, either. In two chapters, nothing remotely close to what could be called a plot twist occurs. So far, it has been largely linear and predictable: warrior princess plans secret assassination attempt which fails, resulting in the fall of her country.
Artwork is a different story. DRAKUUN's first print in Japan was 1989, right after OUTLANDERS, and the style is very similar. The detail in some of the scenes is sharp, and many of the ships and vehicles are reminiscent of the living space creatures the Santovasku use in OUTLANDERS. Also, assuming Dark Horse does not attempt to touch up some of the more graphic scenes, later chapters promise to have more gore. The second volume shows two copyright dates for Manabe, one in 1997, so it may be that Dark Horse has obtained Manabe's consent to tone down some of the splatter.
It would definitely be an exaggeration to say that DRAKUUN is just OUTLANDERS Redux. Further, it is somewhat disingenuous to criticize similarities in character appearances from the same artist because after all, this is the same artist. But, it is one thing for characters to look alike and another for them to act or be alike. Katsura Masakazu's Saeki Tomoko in DNA² is a dead ringer for VIDEO GIRL's Moemi, but they are very different in character and personality. Not so with Karula versus Kahm. Similarly, take the all-powerful Santovasku Empire, tweak it here, fold it there, and voila! Now we have the all-powerful Romulinian Empire.
Perhaps, outside of comparisons to OUTLANDERS, DRAKUUN would fare better. But, the fact of the matter is that both are Manabe works, and the creativity in OUTLANDERS has failed to reveal itself in the first two chapters of DRAKUUN. Manabe fans will probably find enough attraction in the art. But while the plot may hold interest in its own right, it is nothing spectacular, so DRAKUUN rates a marginal pan.

Copyright © Manabe Johji / Fujimi Fantasia Comics / Kadokawa Shoten, 1989 Released in North America by Dark Horse Comics. Translations by Studio Proteus Issue 3 (out of 6) ships 10 Apr 1997