Saiko Takaki’s adaption of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D novel saga continues with the sixth and latest installment. D finds himself accompanying a group of hunters across a mysterious desert. With the revelation of the desert being a living creature, will D and company survive the deadly crossing?

Well, D will obviously since the novel series is up to volume 20 or so, so that was never really in question. Then again Vampire Hunter D is less about D himself and more about his supporting cast for that particular story. Discovering who they are, uncovering tidbits about the post apocalyptic world they inhabit and the sheer weirdness are really the driving points for the series and here they’re in fine display. A massive, sentient desert? A girl who was the prisoner of the Nobles (vampires) for years? A mysterious old lady who’s also a bounty hunter? Plenty of interesting hooks in this volume and it is rather interesting to see how they all play out. Unfortunately certain elements of Kikuchi’s formula are starting to show through and become incredibly predictable at times. Hopefully in future volumes he’ll vary it up a bit more, but about three pages into this book and two of the characters practically have “will be dead by the end” written on their faces.

Takaki’s art is getting more and more polished with each volume. Her layouts are becoming easier to follow and her action sequences are getting clearer with each new release. It’s fascinating to watch her grow and develop as an artist. Her use of heavy black to contrast the stark white pages does a fantastic job at conveying the bleakness of the desert and the weird, threatening nature of the forests or stone formations that pop up. Her characters are expressive and interesting to look at, particularly the older woman. She does a fantastic job at rendering some of the more bizarre and weird powers and abilities I’ve seen in a Kikuchi novel too. I mean, deadly bubbles that snare you into a dream state? And on top of that the man using them looks like Alan Moore in a duster!

The Vampire Hunter D are rarely life changing reads that challenge or change the way we view things. No, they’re pure entertainment and Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 6 is no exception. Kikuchi’s plot is light and enjoyable, despite not being as fast paced as some of the previous volumes, and Takaki’s artwork is the best I’ve seen from her so far. It’s definitely a fun, enjoyable romp in the weird hell scape that is the world of D.

Vampire Hunter D, Vol. 6 is available now. Digital review copy provided by the publisher.


From the fine folks at Vertical comes another classic courtesy of Osamu Tezuka, Princess Knight! Often credited as the first ever shojuo manga, it tells the tale of Sapphire, a young princess born with two hearts, one male the other female. Forced to hide her true gender in an effort to stave off the attempts of an evil Duke Duralumin from inheriting her fathers throne, Princess Knight shows her trials and tribulations.

I’ve generally enjoyed all of the Tezuka releases I’ve read so far but I was a little hesitant about this going into it. The basic premise of two hearts and how each one instills a different set of gender specific attributes seems problematic to my slightly liberal and open sensibilities and, quite frankly, it is. There are moments in the volume where I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and groan out loud as Sapphire’s story played up the roll of the hearts to reinforce concepts of traditional gender roles and traits. There are moments in the story were certain characters knock the idea of traditional gender roles, including a moment where some people complain about the idea that only a male can rule a kingdom, but these brief moments of lip service are overwhelmed and quashed by such moments as Sapphire losing her male heart and becoming a scared, simpering, helpless “woman”. There is a whole raft of questions that the idea of the hearts brings to mind as well. For example, if a “female” heart is weak and helpless while the “male” heart is brave and strong, then what about the cowardly villains? Which heart do they have? In fairness to Tezuka this was written in the 50s and 60s so you shouldn’t exactly be looking for progressive and challenging ideas that smash the traditional concept of gender roles, but it’s still a bit disheartening at times nonetheless. Thankfully most of the story ignores the concepts of the hearts and simply plays Sapphire as a bit of a tomboy forced to hide her true gender due to the pressures of her kingdoms traditions and society. With that in mind the book reads pretty well and is surprisingly charming, whimsical and fun. Sapphire rolls from one bizarre situation and challenge to another, ranging from Duke Duralumin’s conspiracies to unseat her, to the machinations of a demon intent on gaining her “female” heart for her daughter, to a clash with pirates and more. At times the idea of the two hearts seems to play a minimal part in things while at other times it’s hugely important and crucial. Throughout the book there’s also a second underlying theme of a generational clash. The demons daughter wants nothing to do with the “female” heart and would be quite happy to continue being her tomboyish self and Sapphire’s love interest, a prince from a neighboring kingdom, clashes with his father over his interest in Saphhire’s wig wearing “female” alter ego. It’s something I’d like to see played up in the second volume.

Tezuka’s art is charming in it’s cartoonish ways and is incredibly easy to follow. On occasion he plays with the idea of movement and borders, featuring characters literally smashing through panel borders and more. Still, there’s something about the art that feels a bit more simplistic then what I remember in Black Jack or Dororo but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It just feels a bit more stripped down and streamlined than usual I guess. That said it’s still fun and interesting to look at and it fits the light hearted tone of the story perfectly. In addition the characters are all instantly recognizable from one another through both their looks and mannerisms and while that’s something that’s to expected with Tezuka it’s still something I enjoy and appreciate about the artwork and is something that both American and Japanese contemporary comic artists could stand to use more often.

In the end Princess Knight is surprisingly charming despite some incredibly uncomfortable and questionable moments with regards to traditional gender roles and the traits one usually associates with them. Since it’s so short, only two volumes, I’m pretty interested in getting my hands on the second volume and seeing where Tezuka takes the whole story and how it all resolves itself.

Princess Knight, Vol. 1 is available now from Vertical.

The fourth volume of Dorohedoro the beautifully weird series from Q Hayashida sees Caiman and Nikaido continuing their search for the mage that made Caiman into the lizard man he is today. As per usual it gets a bit sidetracked by the general weirdness of the world they inhabit. This time around they find themselves recruited for a baseball game which ends up dominating a large portion of the volume.

The volume’s a bit of a mixed bag with a little bit of plot development and a fair amount of silliness. The silliness actually outweighs any forward momentum the plot makes. Hayashida also dedicates a fair amount of this volume to the antagonists, primarily Shinji and Ebisu and their attempt at rescuing one of Shinji’s old comrades. That in turn leads into the baseball game which is the centerpiece of this volume and chalk full of weird, off beat silliness. While some of the events of the volume are indeed funny and entertaining to read, not to mention that they’re probably laying down foundations for something further on, at the moment they just seem to kill any forward momentum the story develops. I’m not expecting everything to be wrapped up by now, but I just wish it didn’t feel so directionless at times.

While the story is a bit hit or miss with me Q Hayashida’s artwork is anything but. Every page of this manga is a visual treat. Her dense, detailed style lends everything an aged, gritty and run down look to it that I absolutely adore. The grimy buildings, the dirty streets, filthy hall ways and more do a great job at conveying the decaying state of the Hole’s society. What’s perhaps most interesting is the way the grim and oppressive atmosphere of the world doesn’t clash horribly with the odd ball visual humor that’s also present in the book. The baseball game, Fujita’s ridiculous mask and hat combo and more all fit in perfectly with the visual feel of the book but are clearly on the silly and goofy side of things rather than the grim and gritty side. It’s a bit of a testament to her skill as a story teller that she can insert such visual humor and goofiness as a giant cockroach wearing sneakers and a baseball uniform and and have it mesh so perfectly with the rest of the oddball and post apocalyptic looking urban sprawl that you don’t even bat an eye.

Despite my minor complaints I do still enjoy reading this, but a combination of the meandering story and the lengthy wait between volumes keeps it from becoming an absolutely must read for me. Still, in a manga scene that’s still dominated by Shonen Jump titles Dorohedoro is an undeniable breath of fresh air and a rather fun little read to boot.

Dorohedoro, Vol. 4 is available now from Viz.

After a year long absence the twisted tale of serial killers, international conspiracies and multiple personalities returns. The tenth volume in Eiji Otsuka and Shou-U Tajima’s MPD Psycho sees Detective Sasayama investigating a series of knife attacks which ultimately leads him once more into the tangled web weaved by the enigmatic Gakuso group.

While this volume was engaging and surprisingly easy to get into, I do have to wonder if it’s a bit too late to do the series any good. The plot stumbled a bit over the past several volumes and when you add in the fact that it’s taken Dark Horse over a year to get this volume out I’m left wondering how many people are still interested enough to care about the massive revelations promised for volume eleven. I’m also left wondering if It’ll come out before 2013. That said one of the good things about the past few volumes and something that continues wonderfully in this one is the growth and development of Sasayama. While he’s still far from a super genius or brilliant investigator he’s clearly grown and moved beyond the hapless, comedy relief he started out as. In fact, in this volume he shows a certain amount of investigative and tactical cunning at several points. It’s nice to see the character being allowed to grow and change.

Shou-U Tajima’s art is as lovely as always. I think I had forgotten how slick it could be and how his use of heavy blacks against the white pages could be so striking. Everyone and everything in the book is slick and stylish, ranging from the club kids to the politicians and the police and detectives. Even the incredibly nerdy Aoshima ends up looking rather slick and cool despite her bottle thick glasses. Tajima’s story telling is smooth and easy to follow, though after such a long break I did have a small problem telling some of the more minor characters apart.

It was nice to see this volume on the shelf as I do really enjoy this series. It’s just that like I said above, it’s been such a long time that I had forgotten much of what happened in the more recent volumes. I can only hope that there are enough fans kicking around to keep the series alive and allow Dark Horse to publish it to it’s conclusion, even if doing so means changing the stock and removing the raised and textured aspects from it’s cover.

MPD Psycho, Vol. 10 is available now from Dark Horse Comics.

After nearly a decade of being out of print, Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon returns to America thanks to Kodnasha Comics! Arguably one of the most influential manga series in the US, it kicked down doors and welcomed an entirely new generation of young girls into the sequential art form! The tale of Usagi, a school girl chosen to lead a group of other school girls in a battle against the forces of evil begins here.

The story in this first volume is surprisingly simple and straightforward almost to the point of predictability. Luna, a magical cat from the Moon arrives and informs Usagi, your typical, hapless school girl that she’s been chosen to help save the world as Sailor Moon. She’s tasked with several quests, including finding a powerful gem, gathering her allies and finding and defending a princess. Much of the volume is devoted to introducing the various characters and ideas, such as powerful, otherworldly aliens sucking energy from helpless earthlings, and some of the different girls who are Sailor Moon’s allies. At this point, emotionally, it feels a bit hollow and empty. There’s a lot of mystery and questions surrounding mysterious dreams and the enigmatic man Tuxedo Mask, but at this point it feels awfully plot heavy with villains and allies popping up randomly in each chapter. For their part, Sailor Moon and her allies are fairly straight forward and almost archetypal in their personalities and characteristics. The vaguely ditzy, blonde brimming with love and good will, the quiet and intelligent brainy girl, the tall and strong girl with a protective streak and so forth and so on.

The visuals are… sparkly. I haven’t read too many shojo series but I have to admit that Sailor Moon is quite possibly the most stereotypical looking one that I’ve come across. It’s dripping with slightly chibi-esque moments, sparkles, flowers, toning patterns and more. Nearly everyone in this book is incredibly pretty and those that aren’t are usually villains or, possibly, secretly pretty! The panel lay outs are surprisingly dense and busy with lots of images bleeding into other panels, patterns splattered across the page and more. While the visuals do do a fantastic job at complimenting the emotional content of the text and at conveying various moods and emotions, the story telling seems a bit messy and stiff. The panels don’t really flow and motion and action are almost nonexistent. Confrontations with the villains are bland, un-engaging and often times incredibly short and quick.

Sailor Moon is an interesting read in terms of it being a classic and hugely important to the development of the American manga market, but at this point it’s not quite blowing me away or making me fall in love with it. There are moments that seem interesting and are amusing, along with story elements that seem to hold a lot of promise, but there’s just something lacking from the first volume to pull it all together and make it fantastic. As it is, knowing it’s importance and having a vague idea of what’s to come, I’ll probably be sticking with it for a bit longer. If I didn’t I really couldn’t see myself following the series for much longer.

Sailor Moon, vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics. 


Breathe Deeply by Yamaaki Doton is the latest release from One Peace Books, a relative newcomer to the US manga market. On it’s surface Breathe Deeply is the story of a love triangle between Sei, Oishi and Yuko, a sickly girl who’s the object of their mutual affection. However, as the story progresses it becomes apparent that rivalry and conflicts between Sei and Oishi aren’t limited to those over Yuko’s love, but include the different schools of thought with regards to medical ethics and research that they come to represent.

Yamaaki Doton crafts a fantastic story, hooking readers with the romantic rivalry and the tragedy that Sei and Oishi share through their mutual love of Yuko, and uses it to frame a lengthy and compelling look at a myriad of ethical questions that modern medicine must deal with. This ranges from organ transplant, stem cell research to issues regarding the quality of life, brain death and more. For the most part it handles these issues rather well, though on occasion it does seem to cross the line into anti-organ transplant propaganda. This is heavily due to the sketchiness of several of the doctors involved with the procedure throughout the story. While most of the book is a complex and thoughtful read, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the one of the doctors who’s a proponent of organ transplants often comes off as ghoulish and villainous. This would seem to go beyond the idea of a cultural fear or uneasiness over the issues and into the realm of manga villainy as it features a sequence where the aforementioned doctor engages in the kidnapping and drugging of another doctor after a brain dead patient goes missing. Thankfully this seems to be something that’s limited to certain members of the supporting cast and Oishi and Sei are depicted as wonderfully complex and multidimensional characters who approach the same problem from vastly different points of view.

The artwork is gorgeous and really a treat to behold. I understand that Yamaaki Doton is the pen name for a husband and wife duo, so I’m not sure who contributes what to the artwork, but it really is a beautifully drawn book. The characters all look different, not just in clothing or in hair style, but physically their facial features, body types and even body language varies greatly. The backgrounds are detailed and help ground the story, giving it a nice solid feel and adding detail to certain characters backgrounds and personalities.

So far Breathe Deeply is the only release I’ve read from One Peace Books and I have to say that if their other manga releases match this one in terms of quality then that’s something I need to rectify. Breathe Deeply is a compelling read which touches upon political and ethical issues that are relevant in much of the developed world. And if the social issues it raises and deals with aren’t your cup of tea, you still have a very engaging, entertaining and gripping read.

Breathe Deeply is available now from One Peace Books. Review copy provided by the publisher.


The twenty fourth volume of Hiroaki Samura’s award winning series, Blade of the Immortal, arrives! Old enemies return to form and a small group of Itto Ryu members engage in a daring raid on the political heart of Japan.

Subtitled “Massacre”, this volume has certain expectations to live up to. It’s safe to say that it meets those expectations, if not surpassing them altogether. The first chapter sees the return of Shira in more ways than one. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him indulge himself, not since volume seven, and here we get a chance to see him indulge himself once more. It’s a rather dark and disturbing way to but it does a lot to reestablish Shira and remind us of why he’s so memorable and dangerous, something that might have been forgotten during the lengthy prison arc. If Shira’s past time of torture and mutilation isn’t your thing then you’re in luck, because it’s only the opening chapter of the volume. Indeed, the bulk of the book is given over to a massacre of another sort as Anotsu, Magatsu, Baro and Ohzuan return to Edo Castle. What ensues is essentially a one hundred plus page massacre. While the volume doesn’t do a whole lot to move the over all plot or character development forward, it does show us some rather interesting things about the world of Blade of the Immortal that we might often forget. Namely that the Itto Ryu and their founding members are indeed that damn good. When you see Itto Ryu struggling or getting offed throughout the series it’s easy to forget that they’re meant to be an incredibly strong, skilled and unorthodox group of swordsmen. That’s usually because they’re going up against the immortal Manji or specialized groups like the Mugai Ryu who’s members are often on par with them. Here though, we get to see what happens when four of the Itto Ryu engage the rank and file of the Japanese military in battle and the results are a bloody good read.

As always Samura’s artwork is fantastic and enjoyable in nearly every aspect. His story telling is wonderful and the action sequences flow across the page beautifully and are clear and easy to follow, even with the odd combination of panel rearrangements/flipping that the series undergoes. As usual the fight scenes are one of the book’s highlights and the massive raid on Edo Castle is an intense and exciting visual treat. Samura handles the few quiet and lighter moments with equal skill. The recent introduction of Megura and Tanpopo, a pair of female ninja who are clearly intended as comedic relief has given him a chance to show off his lighter side. While some of the comedy certainly comes from the dialogue, Megura’s spit take in this volume is actually pretty hilarious and shows off Samura’s flair and ability with comedic visuals and timing.

After a huge, two volume battle in Edo Castle only a few volumes ago, returning to the idea again may be a bit odd but after seeing it pulled off I’m rather glad they did. It was a fantastic moment in the series that really served to show just how extraordinary the Itto Ryu, and by proxy Manji and those they fight, really are when it comes to the sword.

Blade of the Immortal, Vol. 24 is available now from Dark Horse Comics.


One Missed Call 1 + 2 is a collection of adaption of the movie franchise. The original One Missed Call came out at the tail end of the J-Horror phase and was a hit in Japan, spawning several sequels, a TV series and a US remake. While the first movie wasn’t exactly spectacular, it was still an ok flick thanks in part to the direction by Takashi Miike. The manga on the other hand…

One of the weakest things about the original One Missed Call movie was the writing. The characters tended to feel a bit flat, one dimensional and seemed to move through the movie with little free will of their own. Takashi Miike was able to cover this up a bit with decent direction and a healthy dose of ambiance and mood. Sadly the manga has none of this. Scenes that were tension filled and unnerving thanks to Miike’s direction, appropriate sets, lighting, music and more become a muddled mess here and the characters are even flatter than ever, feeling like little more than mouth pieces wandering aimlessly from one scene to another. In addition there’s actually a moment within this volume where several pages from a later sequence appear randomly before hand and you end up with a rather awkward and confusing read. The translation, something that I usually don’t notice in most manga, also feels a bit awkward here. The dialogue is stiff, there’s an odd turn of phrase here and there and everyone seems to speak with the same voice. While I haven’t seen the second movie I can safely say that the manga adaption hasn’t done anything to encourage me to do.

One of the themes within both movies in child abuse. In the first the ghost is the spirit of a child who was seemingly desperate for attention, which in turn led to abuse and further neglect, which in turn led to her death. One of the main characters in the first story is herself a victim of child abuse as well. In his book J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge and Beyond, David Kalat talks a little about how One Missed Call can be viewed as a commentary on child abuse and how it’s a silent plague which eats away at the fabric of a society. He further states that it’s something Japan has long turned a blind eye to, pointing out that up until 1999 the Japanese government didn’t even try to collect statistic and data on incidents of child abuse. With that in mind it’s hard to read the second story, which shifts the origin of the curse from Japan to Taiwan, without seeing it as an attempt to claim that child abuse within Japan is not a natural occurrence, but is in fact a problem brought to Japan by foreigners. In addition to that reading, the second story also shares all the faults of the first one, bland characters, odd dialogue, a meandering plot, and tosses in even more convoluted twists and turns.

Mayumi Ito’s artwork does these stories absolutely no favor whatsoever. It’s sparse, many of the characters look alike and there are almost no backgrounds. To make things even worse there are sudden transitions in time and space that are difficult to follow due to the similarity of many characters and the lack of background. One minute characters are talking in a house, turn the page and they’re somewhere else. A black panel with a word bubble later and suddenly they’re in the middle of a conversation with a group of people on the street. The word bubbles are almost entirely without tails and often over lap panels or appear in all black or all white panels. This makes it difficult in places to attribute dialogue to a specific character. This is even further complicated by the fact that the word bubble may appear in a panel focusing on a shoe, leg or hand. The lack of sound and the way it was used in the movies was well done, with the eerie ring tone being a stand out example of this. Unfortunately within the sequential art medium there’s no sound and we’re stuck with sound effects and musical notes appearing on the page instead. Both lack the impact of the sound from the original movie and often times the significance may be missed or over looked. A good example of this is the use of the asthma inhaler in the first movie and the first manga. In the movie the sound really stood out and was clearly some sort of aerosol spray, but in the manga it’s merely a “shuuu” sound. While the Japanese may hear this and think moving air or spray, to my western mind it could have been anything from elevator doors opening, shoes shuffling across the ground and more.

While the original One Missed Call was a hit I wasn’t exactly blown away by it and the manga simply highlights everything that was wrong or weak with the movie and magnifies it. When you add in sloppy story telling and bland artwork you end up with an incredibly underwhelming read that will do nothing to encourage one to see the movie or explore the franchise further.

One Missed Call 1 + 2 is available now from Dark Horse Comics.


New York City is no more, destroyed in an instant when the wall between our world and the Other World was torn asunder. In it’s place is Jerusalem’s Lot, a metropolis contained within a mystic barrier, teeming with supernatural and human life. Unfortunately not everyone likes to live alongside each other harmoniously and when something threatens the fragile peace Libra springs into action. From Yashuhuro Nightow, acclaimed creator of Trigun comes Blood Blockade Battlefront.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed when I picked this up. From the description it sounded like a modern take on the ideas seen in various works from Hideyuki Kikuchi, and I suppose it is in a way but it skews a bit more strongly towards the action and comedy genre then the weird fiction and horror genre of the latter’s works. Blood Blockade Battlefront introduces us to the secretive world of Libra through the eyes of Leonard Watch, a young man who though some rather confused circumstances finds himself recruited into the group to defend the city from a madman. The book splits itself between two stories, the first one dealing with a madman attempting to sow chaos for no apparent reason and the second, shorter story dealing with a group of beings kidnapping people for snacks. Leonard is likable enough, but he’s not terribly memorable or interesting. Unfortunately the same goes for most of Libra as well. Klaus, the leader is quiet and strong but apparently seething with barely contained rage and violent urges. Zap’s a young, brash fellow who’s verbally abusive and generally comes off as a bit jerkish and dumb. Chain, the only female member, doesn’t really have much of a personality aside from sniping at Zap from time to time. None of them really stand out much and they all felt fairly flat and uninteresting.

Nightow’s artwork isn’t too shabby and the action is fast paced and intense. It can also get a bit messy at times with a few panels and sequences being incomprehensible and cluttered. Still, at least he gives things backgrounds, plus some of his character designs are pretty eye catching. The various creatures and monsters that appear throughout the volume are generally pretty interesting and fascinating to look at, which really makes me wonder why they’re relegated to villains and group shots and why Nightow didn’t bother to include one as a member of Libra. The Libra cast, for their part are pretty slick looking but aren’t the highlights of the book that you’d hope they’d be.

All in all, Blood Blockade Battlefront feels like the manga equivalent to a popcorn flick. It’s perfectly acceptable, middle of the road entertainment that you’ll enjoy at the time but probably won’t think about too often after you’re finished with it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but given the buzz around Nightow thanks to Trigun I guess I was expecting a bit more.

Blood Blockade Battlefront, vol. 1 is available now from Dark Horse Comics.


Set in the fictional town of Midnight, Massachuesetts, Midnight, Mass is a eight issue series depicting the exploits of Adam and Julia Kadmon, a married couple who also happen to be the greatest paranormal investigators in the world. From John Rozum, the mind behind Xombi, comes this forgotten gem from 2002.

Midnight, Mass is something of an oddity. It was originally solicited and hyped as an ongoing series, only to be cut down to an eight issue mini-series between the time of the initial announcement and it’s actual publication. Rumor has it that creator John Rozum apparently found this out rather late into the game and as a result the eight issues don’t tell a single story arc. Instead it’s comprised of a single issue tale, a two parter, a three issue arc and another two parter which attempts to give the mini-series some sense of closure. Despite this the series is still a very enjoyable ride showcasing much of what made Xombi such a delight while allowing Rozum to portray something that’s rarely seen in American comics.. a happily married couple who enjoy their work. It’s such a refreshing change of pace, particularly in this day and age when American comics seem hellbent on breaking up every long term couple and peppering their supernatural characters with a heavy load of angst and grimness. While Adam and Julia do fight and argue, it’s not done out of bitterness or anger at their lot in life. It’s done out of worry and concern for each other and a certain fear of letting each other down in a life and death situation, but at no point is there a sense that either has to shoulder these problems or troubles alone. If a healthy couple isn’t enough, there’s also a slight inversion of conventional tropes for this genre. Adam’s the mage with an encyclopedic brain but no combat skills and Julia provides the brawn and weapon skills.

This was my first exposure to the artwork of Jesus Saiz and he’s not bad, but I don’t think he was the best fit for this series. Personally I thought one of his weakest points was his depiction Adam and Julia. The couple is described as glamorous and we’re told they’ve made Peoples 50 Most Beautiful People list several times in a row, but Julia doesn’t look that more beautiful then any other woman in the series and Adam doesn’t come off as terribly handsome either. Part of this seems to be his handling of their clothing. In the first issue Adam’s modern jacket is ruined and he changes into an older jacket that’s referred to as looking out of fashion, moth eaten and shabby but it really didn’t look that different from the first jacket he was wearing. Still, his work is clean, clear and easy to follow. Also some of his creature designs are fairly memorable, particularly the assassin in the first issue. For the most part though, he seems to lack a certain sense of mood and ambiance that the series called for. It’s serviceable if an odd and unspectacular fit.

Despite the lack of an overarching story due to behind the scenes weirdness and the average artwork, I still really enjoyed Midnight, Mass and would gladly pay to read more of the Kadmon’s exploits. Any fans of the recent Xombi series looking for similar work from Rozum would do well to give this series a loo as it shares many traits with that series. Unfortunately it might be a bit hard to come by as it’s never been collected, despite doing well enough to warrant a second mini-series Midnight, Mass: Here There Be Monsters. Still, those who can track down the single issues should find Midnight, Mass to be an enjoyable and fun read.

Midnight, Mass was published by Vertigo.