▪	RELEASED BY:		BROCCOLI BOOKS
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		UFO TABLE / HARUO SOTOZAKI & TARAN CHECK
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		178
		▪	RATING:		13+
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		07/11/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		10/17/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SCOTT CAMPBEL

Planet Graceland is going to be obliterated into nothing but space dust in seven days, along with Pirate King Blues’ legacy to his daughter, Franca. That leaves just enough time for Mister (yes, that’s his name) to bust out of jail, take the helm of the Coyote-go (standard intergalactic space craft - you know the drill) and try to do something about it (ie: grab the loot before it’s reduced to dust particles and such).

As master criminal, Madame Marciano plots to take over the crime guild and swipe the treasure for herself. The 12 sisters, Madame’s machine gun toting nutcases, set a trap to deliver Mister and the girl into her hands. Can Mister save Franca and her fortune? Will Swamp Gordon, one of the king’s most trusted friends, be willing to help out? For Mister and the crew of the Coyote, the race is most certainly on!

Right off the bat, Coyote Ragtime Show is a manga with high production values. It’s clean and crisp and knows how to look pretty. The manga art is done very much in tune with the glossy look of the anime and works well as a supplement to it, and as a stand alone media. The front cover really says it all: guns and a lot of action – both things will be coming your way when you read this series. Coyote Ragtime Show knows exactly what it is, and plays the right tune without skipping a beat. It’s an all out action thriller with tons of explosions, nail biting tension, and high speed chases through space and beyond. The story moves quickly, as do the characters themselves. Everything in it is a bomb waiting to go off, so by moving quickly they can sometimes avoid being there when the timer hits zero.

As we’ve already agreed, the art in this manga is top notch. The style uses really great contrast to make the images pop up from the pages. Character images are really big so a lot of the action is up close and personal for the reader. Many of the character designs are really a lot of fun - especially for a whacked-out action extravaganza that you don’t have to take too seriously. The 12 sisters are so crazy – it’s like 12 girls from ages 10 to 20, all in Goth Lolita get-ups and toting whatever their weapon of choice may be. One of the younger girls even sports a top hat and a jacket full of pockets – and therefore very full of grenades. It’s snazzy, funny, and pretty cool as “villainous mercenaries” go. As for extras, there is a nice little section at the back that goes over some of the character designs, and there’s even an English preview of the next volume (actually pretty rare when it comes to previews, which are usually in Japanese only).

IN SUMMARY: 
Coyote Ragtime packs a wicked punch, mixing genres like science fiction, western and action thriller all into one. Its a million miles a minute, with more guns, girls, and space pirates than anyone could hope for.