Dark Angel (small version) Vol.#05

By: Mike Dungan
Review Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Release Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2005



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Kia Asamiya
Translated by:Laura Jackson and Yoko Kobayashi
Adapted by:

What They Say
The enigmatic angel, Dark, has been sidetracked from his quest. He needs to rescue his fairy companion, Kyo, and retrieve his sword from the ruthlessly evil forces known as the Gairana. Dark must focus his strength and skill in order to overcome this deadly threat, but even if he succeeds, he still must come to grips with his ultimate destiny... in the far off realm of Oukoku!

The Review
Packaging:
Originally published in 1999/2000 as single issue monthly comics, the art has been flipped to read left to right in the Western fashion. The front cover features 4 of the female characters arranged in a group shot with a purple background. The title and author's name are on a large black border across the top and volume number and review blurb on a black border at the bottom. The back cover has another group shot against a purple background and black bars top and bottom. Inside are two pages of character profiles and a page for the plot synopsis.

Artwork:
Kia Asamiya has a unique style that fans either hate or love. Originally published in Japan in 1997, Dark Angel features Asamiya's fully matured style, complete with angular eyes, pointed noses and heavy use of screentoning. It's skillfully applied to add considerable depth to every panel. Action scenes are some of the most dynamic in the field. Even still scenes are full of drama and tension. Former CPM editor C.B. Cebulski was both a fan and a friend of Kia Asamiya, and he really wanted to do right by him with Dark Angel. Extra effort was taken with this title and it shows. While there are still some instances of screentone moiring, it's surprisingly minimal from a CPM title of this vintage.


Text/SFX:
As was par for the course in monthly comics at the time, not only was the art flipped, but all sound effects were edited and retouched into English. It's professionally done and looks good, though some fans may miss the original Japanese text. Laura Jackson and Yoko Kobayashi's translation and adaptation is excellent, as always. The dialogue flows smoothly and naturally, with nothing standing out as obviously Americanized or forced.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Dark is still trying to get to Oukoku to confirm his status as the new Phantom Saint of the Red Phoenix, but he's been sidetracked by a band of warriors who have captured his tiny fairy companion, Kyo. The warriors call themselves the Gairana, and they travel with their mobile fortress, looking to fight whoever they chose and plunder whatever they want. Another group of warriors have arrived to stop them once and for all, and it's this group that Dark teams up with. This entire volume concludes that battle that was begun in the previous volume.

Comments
While this volume concludes with a bit of a twist in the plot, it doesn't really conclude. It feels more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book. Ironically, despite the fact that I bought all the monthly comic books and the first edition graphic novels, I can't really recommend these new books. The story leaves something to be desired, and fans of his art are better served by the larger trade paperbacks, if you can still find them.