#IReadsYou Review: ULTRAMAN Volume 4

ULTRAMAN, VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Eiichi Shimizu
ART: Tomohiro Shimoguchi
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8185-9; paperback (May 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
188pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

Ultraman is a character that appeared in Japanese sci-fi/fantasy films and television, beginning in the 1960s.  Ultraman was an alien entity that merged with a human host, creating a superhero that fought aliens trying to invade Earth.  Ultraman (stylized as ULTRAMAN) the manga, written and drawn by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, is a sequel to the television series, “Ultraman” (1966).

The new Ultraman is 17-year-old Shinjiro Hayata.  He is the son of Shin Hayata, the man who first merged with Ultraman 20 years earlier.  A new threat is growing, and that kind of danger requires a new kind of Ultraman.

As Ultraman, Vol. 4 (Chapter 21 to 26) opens, Shinjiro struggles with what it means to be Ultraman.  The alien enemies of Earth are brutal and unforgiving, and Dan Moroboshi, who wears an updated Ultraman suit, does not hesitate to kill them.  Shinjiro is struggling to come to terms with Dan's use of violence, especially after a battle leaves Dan's suit covered in blood.

Is Shinjiro or Dan the new kind of Ultraman for the danger the Earth now faces?  Well, there is a secret plan to force Shinjiro to take the next step in his development as the Ultraman.  Plus, The Rena Sayama 2018 Live Tour begins, but someone plans to kill Rena, an Ultraman fangirl.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Ultraman manga is an easy and enjoyable read, something that I can say about every volume.  And yes, it is such an easy read that I find myself finishing too quickly and wishing that there were more.  I really enjoy this manga, and I think its fan base should grow.  Ultraman is something like a blend of Marvel's Iron Man and Neon Genesis Evangelion, a blend I think that others can enjoy.

Ultraman Volume 4 focuses on the existential crisis Shinjiro undergoes as he deals with the realities of being the hero everyone expects to protect the Earth.  Killing and destroying the enemy seems the obvious solution, except that it may not be.  Creators Shimizu and Shimoguchi are gradually delving into complex issues, even as they continue to produce a delightfully breezy read.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of Ultraman and readers looking for superheroes from another land will want to try the VIZ Signature title, Ultraman.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: ULTRAMAN Volume 3

ULTRAMAN, VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

STORY: Eiichi Shimizu
ART: Tomohiro Shimoguchi
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8184-2; paperback (February 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
188pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

The character, Ultraman, appeared in Japanese sci-fi/fantasy films and television, beginning in the 1960s.  Ultraman was an alien entity that merged with a human host, creating a superhero that fought aliens trying to invade Earth.  Ultraman (stylized as ULTRAMAN) the manga, written and drawn by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, is a sequel to the television series, “Ultraman” (1966).

The new Ultraman is 17-year-old Shinjiro Hayata.  He is the son of Shin Hayata, the man who first merged with Ultraman 20 years earlier.  A new threat is growing, and that kind of danger requires a new kind of Ultraman.

As Ultraman, Vol. 3 (Chapter 15 to 20) opens, the Science Special Search Party (SSSP) goes deeper into a sinister investigation to learn the identity of a mysterious new serial killer.  The victims are human, but the killer may not be human.  Meanwhile, Dan Moroboshi takes Shinjiro to a mysterious alien city, but the location of that city shocks Shinjiro.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Ultraman manga is an easy and enjoyable read.  In fact, it is such an easy read that I find myself finishing too quickly and wishing that there were more.  Ultraman is something like an American superhero, and I think of Iron Man with a touch of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Ultraman Graphic Novel Volume 3 continues to expand the world of this new Ultraman character.  At the same time, the creative team continues to tease the ghosts of the past, which might entertain readers already familiar with earlier incarnations of the character.  I'm invested in this series, and being unfamiliar with old Ultraman only makes me even more interested in getting answers.  I won't act as if this is an instant classic, but the mixture of science fiction action and mystery really work for this new Ultraman.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of Ultraman and readers looking for superheroes from another land will want to try the VIZ Signature title, Ultraman.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: ULTRAMAN Volume 1

ULTRAMAN, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[A version of this review first appeared on Patreon.]

STORY: Eiichi Shimizu
ART: Tomohiro Shimoguchi
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Stan!
LETTERING: Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8182-8; paperback (August 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
240pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK

As a team, Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi created the manga, Kurogane no Rainbareru (Linebarrels of Iron, Akita Shoten), and have produced character designs for video games and action figures.  Their current collaboration is the manga, Ultraman, based on a character that appeared in Japanese sci-fi/fantasy films and television series, beginning in the 1960s.  Ultraman was an alien entity that merged with a human host to create a superhero that fought aliens trying to invade Earth.

Eiichi Shimizu worked on the story, script, and mechanical design for Ultraman (stylized as ULTRAMAN).  Tomohiro Shimoguchi provided character designs and art for this manga that is a sequel to the television series, “Ultraman” (1966).  The manga (Japanese comics) began its serialization in Monthly Hero's in 2011.  VIZ Media will publish the manga in English as a graphic novel series, beginning August 2015.

Ultraman, Vol. 1 (Chapter 1 to 6) opens 20 years after Ultraman (“Giant of Light”) left Earth after defeating the last of the alien invaders.  Defense Minister Shinjiro Hayata and his young son, Shin Hayata, are visiting “The Giant of Light Memorial Museum.”  The elder Hayata does not remember that he had merged with Ultraman even after something shocking happens to his son at the museum.

Twelve years after that fateful museum visit, young Shin is trying to be a normal school boy, trying to get the girls at his school to notice him.  His life, however, is about to change, and the truth is going to come out.  What is the “Ultra Factor,” and who possesses it?

Many years ago, on a comic book creator's message board, I posted that I wondered if there were Japanese superheros that were similar to American superheroes , such as Superman and Spider-Man.  Another board member said there was such a Japanese superhero – Ultraman.  I wasn't buying it, as what little of Ultraman that I had seen just did not look like something from DC Comics or Marvel Comics or even like superheroes from independent comic book publishers.

Years later, VIZ Media recently sent me the opening volume of the new Ultraman manga.  I don't know how close the new is to the original, as I have not experienced original Ultraman.  I can say that Ultraman Volume 1 makes me believe that Ultraman is like an American superhero.  I could not help but think of Iron Man, although neither Shinjiro nor Shin Hayata is like Tony Stark.  This manga does remind me, a little, of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This first volume is quite an enjoyable read.  The graphical storytelling moves like a superhero comic book.  If I did not know that Ultraman was created in Japan, I would not at all think of it as manga.  That is not a criticism; I simply think that this Ultraman could work as an American comic book.  I look forward to future volumes because Ultraman has the potential to be quite good.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.