A thoroughly enjoyable side-story in a popular action-adventure franchise.
This comic-book expansion of the Gatchaman universe centers on archvillain Berg Katse.
Japanese animated series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman—or simply Gatchaman—aired in the late 1970s and early ’80s. It may be better known to Americans by the title of its dubbed and re-edited version, Battle of the Planets, but this latest comic iteration, from an American publisher, returns the characters and organizations to their Japanese names. This volume collects four comic-book issues, written by Orlando and illustrated by Lobo and Qualano. Berg Katse (called Zoltar in Battle of the Planets) is the commander of Galactor, an evil group whose mission claims to be in Earth’s best interest: By seizing all the planet's resources, they assert, humanity can be saved from itself. But when a poisoned meal nearly kills Katse, he must uncover who’s infiltrated his organization. It doesn’t take long for him to track down his would-be assassins: the last members of an organized crime family he thought he eradicated years earlier, shortly before founding Galactor. The gang’s plan has been years in the making—and they have a secret weapon: a mutant family member strong enough to take on Katse. This comic is created by a different team than the one collected in the recent Gatchaman Vol. 1, and it avoids most of that series’ problems. At one point, Katse goes undercover to infiltrate Galactor’s ranks and, in a few panels, it becomes hard to discern which character is Katse. Aside from this, however, the panels have room to breathe, and strike an ideal balance between dialogue and action. The color palette is cohesive, leaning heavily on the reds and purples of Katse’s outfit. Notably, the Science Ninja Team is absent from this comic, other than a brief glimpse at the start (in which someone in a fleeing crowd says, “I’ve seen all their vids—got all the bootleg DVDs,” in a knowing wink to longtime fans), but it never feels that anything is lacking. Instead, this work effectively fleshes out an established character with an absorbing, artfully executed backstory.
A thoroughly enjoyable side-story in a popular action-adventure franchise.Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781545815892
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced...
A pairing of the text of the Scottish Play with a filmed performance, designed with the Shakespeare novice in mind.
The left side of the screen of this enhanced e-book contains a full version of Macbeth, while the right side includes a performance of the dialogue shown (approximately 20 lines’ worth per page). This granular focus allows newcomers to experience the nuances of the play, which is rich in irony, hidden intentions and sudden shifts in emotional temperature. The set and costuming are deliberately simple: The background is white, and Macbeth’s “armor” is a leather jacket. But nobody’s dumbing down their performances. Francesca Faridany is particularly good as a tightly coiled Lady Macbeth; Raphael Nash-Thompson gives his roles as the drunken porter and a witch a garrulousness that carries an entertainingly sinister edge. The presentation is not without its hiccups. Matching the video on the right with the text on the left means routinely cutting off dramatic moments; at one point, users have to swipe to see and read the second half of a scene’s closing couplet—presumably an easy fix. A “tap to translate” button on each page puts the text into plain English, but the pop-up text covers up Shakespeare’s original, denying any attempts at comparison; moreover, the translation mainly redefines more obscure words, suggesting that smaller pop-ups for individual terms might be more meaningful.
Even so, this remains Macbeth, arguably the Bard of Avon’s most durable and multilayered tragedy, and overall, this enhanced e-book makes the play appealing and graspable to students . (Enhanced e-book. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2013
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: The New Book Press LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2013
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times...
A bland, uninspired graphic adaptation of the Bard’s renowned love story.
Using modern language, McDonald spins the well-known tale of the two young, unrequited lovers. Set against Nagar’s at-times oddly psychedelic-tinged backgrounds of cool blues and purples, the mood is strange, and the overall ambiance of the story markedly absent. Appealing to what could only be a high-interest/low–reading level audience, McDonald falls short of the mark. He explains a scene in an open-air tavern with a footnote—“a place where people gather to drink”—but he declines to offer definitions for more difficult words, such as “dirges.” While the adaptation does follow the foundation of the play, the contemporary language offers nothing; cringeworthy lines include Benvolio saying to Romeo at the party where he first meets Juliet, “Let’s go. It’s best to leave now, while the party’s in full swing.” Nagar’s faces swirl between dishwater and grotesque, adding another layer of lost passion in a story that should boil with romantic intensity. Each page number is enclosed in a little red heart; while the object of this little nuance is obvious, it’s also unpleasantly saccharine. Notes after the story include such edifying tidbits about Taylor Swift and “ ‘Wow’ dialogs from the play” (which culls out the famous quotes).Pub Date: May 10, 2011
ISBN: 978-93-80028-58-3
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Campfire
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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