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Reviewed by Craig Johnson Plot: The political story to beat them all continues… Forget President Lex Luthor, this is the real deal. Senator Kenneth Yamaoka is fighting for the Democrat nomination with current VP, Albert Noah. The New Hampshire primary proved his credentials, now it’s the turn of New York…and whomever has the backing of Mayor Gilbert Blackburn is a shoe-in. Blackburn is a wily old fox, however, and doesn’t promise his support to either camp, seemingly engaging in a Dutch auction between the two, but what is his real agenda? Meanwhile, young Japanese reporter Takashi Jo is still dealing with the knowledge that he is Yamaoka’s son, and the possibility that he arranged for his mother’s death for some as-yet unknown reason. Whilst he ponders these weighty issues, he tries to learn more about the campaign and the people behind it, as well as Yamaoka’s history…ostensibly for articles for his paper, but really in an attempt to sort things out in his own mind. Let’s get the disadvantages out of the way first. This ain’t superheroes. This is in black-and-white. It costs twenty bucks. Now let’s look at the good stuff. It’s over 400 pages long. It’s on decent paper. It’s a handy, readable size – not the traditional superhero size (too heavy to hold at 400 pages I’d’ve thought), and not the cut down Lone Wolf and Cub size. The story is gripping, you really want to find out if Yamaoka can overcome Blackburn’s disapproval, you want to know what really went on in the past and whether Jo’s mother was murdered. The dialogue is pretty much spot-on, there are a few too many exclamations from a few characters, maybe these guys are just particular volatile? Yamaoka is quiet, thoughtful, and frighteningly intelligent, but maybe just a little over-calculating? This could be his downfall… You may also think that 400 pages is a little difficult to face up to reading…the good news is that the story flows so well, and is logically broken down into sixteen 30-or-so-page chapters, that you can read this just as a traditional novel – all of it in a big sitting, or a couple of chapters at a time. If you really, really only like superheroes then maybe this isn’t for you. For everyone else, it’s a superb example of the medium in use, and an essential purchase. Comment on this review of Eagle v2 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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