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Reviewed by Craig Johnson Plot: Senator Kenneth Yamaoka wants to run for President. There's a small matter of a highly popular Vice-Prez to overcome first! Subtitled "The Making of an Asian-American President", you could be thinking that, well, that reveals the denouement. If the subtitle says that Yamaoka makes it to be President, then why bother reading this? Let me tell you why. This chunky TPB collects issues one through four of a monthly series from Viz Comics, of the same name. Each issue is just about 100-pages long - and that's story pages. Yes, this TPB is 400-pages-plus-change for $19.95, not a bad investment at all. Even better, the story cracks along at a fantastic pace - it had me smiling all the way through, and was a real page-turner. 400-pages flew by in an orgy of non-stop reading, pacing was superb, content even better, lots of promise for the remainder of the story (maybe another three or four TPBs to come to finish the story off). This particular volume, details how young Japanese reporter Takashi Jo, who lives on the isle of Okinawa, is left an orphan by his mother dying suddenly, accidentally, and he's immediately selected by U.S. Senator Kenneth Yamaoka to cover his Presidential campaign. So the first plot is thus - why was this cub reporter selected by Yamaoka? Is this related to Jo's missing father? What really happened to his mother? What happens when Jo's secret is found out by Yamaoka's wife? This plot, although the main thrust of the first few chapters, disappears into the background after 100 pages or so, to resurface every now and then in a few pages here, a couple of pages there, until the ominious final scene. In the meantime, the supposed "real" story takes over - the Senator's attempt to firstly secure the Democrat nomination, and secondly to become U.S. President. Only problem in the first goal is incumbent Vice-President Albert Noah (yes, a thinly veiled Al Gore) who is amazingly popular with the party, and looking a shoe-in for the Democrat nomination and Presidential election. How Yamaoke comes from nowhere to cause a minor upset at the first primary is the essence of this story, showcasing some clever political tricks and ploys - you just have to admire Kawaguchi's imagination in coming up with these. An excellent metaphorical discussion using sheep and sheepdogs takes place immediately prior to the primary, along with a surreptitous game of chess that ends in stalemate - or does it? An excellent textbook, then, for those interested in political mechinations, and a rollicking good read for everyone else. One bullet is dropped for the subject matter being so far beyond the norm in the comics market, it just may not be to everyone's taste. It is to mine, however, and is thoroughly, and unreservedly, recommended. Comment on this review of Eagle v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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