 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | TOKYOPOP | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | J.M / ARVID NELSON | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | WESTERN / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 192 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 04/08/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/22/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Hellgate London the manga is the prequel to the hit video game of the same name. In the year 2020, a demon invasion strikes several cities around the globe - including London, home to college Rugby champ John Fowler and his family. But before the climatic Battle of All Hallow's Eve, John and his sister Lindsey attempted to discover the story behind what seemed to be a series of bizarre portents: an exhumed skeleton, a haunting apparition, and a powerful sword that they find in their attic. Solving the mystery, though, reveals something about their family that changes their lives forever. In this never before visited time frame relating to the video game, explore the world of Hellgate just 48 hours before the world becomes a demon-ridden, war-torn hell - and discover just what might have started it all. Not all manga, books, or films based off of video games are any good – in fact, we could probably name more that were laughable than memorable for any positive reason. The great thing about Hellgate London is that it lets us see a portion of the overall story that we weren’t privy to in the actual video game itself. This series works off the concept of the video game, but makes sure not to stray from what made it good. Rather than being completely “based” off something, this series stays true to what fans like about the game, and actually expands that world for them through manga. Just like the game, this manga is on the mature side of things. It is rated older teen 16+ for good reason, as it contains moderate violence, moderate gore, and strong language to boot. But hey: If you were a fan of the game, you wouldn’t want the manga going all soft of you now would you? The visuals are very nice, and especially so for an original English language piece without any Japanese hands at work on it. Not to say North American’s can’t draw – but come on – we go through the trouble of reading most of our manga backwards because we like how the Japanese handle things, right? Well things are handled here very proficiently and with an edge of fun, so there isn’t anything to worry about. The art style is sketchy and wispy in a cool kind of way, but it’s also very clean when it needs to be. Character designs are fun and varied, being everything from very serious and human-like, to quick humorous and cartoon-like for the relief characters. Fight scenes are fast and furious with a lot of movement implied by the dynamics of the visuals. There are quite a few really good full page spreads for some of the important and pinnacle moments, and this always works well in a manga to bring out the drama of these moments. As for extras, there is a preview for Hellgate London: Goetia, a novel by Mel Odom. It’s book two of the original trilogy from Pocket Star Books and is available now for anyone interested in delving deeper into the world of Hellgate and reading a novel pertaining to it. It’s always insightful to read a little about the people who have brought us the manga we are reading, so here is a little bit about the author and the artist: Arvid Nelson is the creator of Dark Horse’s Rex Mundi, which has been sold to Infinitum Mihil, Johnny Depp’s production company. He is also the writer for Dark Horse’s Zero Killer and DC’s JSA Classified: Mr. Terrific, as well as a short for marvel’s X-Men Unlimited. J.M (Jeong Mo Yang) is the co-creator for Tokyopop’s upcoming online serial Dyoz as well as an artist for Tokyopop’s Star Trek graphic novel series.
IN SUMMARY:
Hellgate London is a fantastic rendition of events that happened before those within the video game, but it’s still a good enough read to appeal to even those who have never played it. If demons and suspense are your thing, there’s plenty of it inside these pages! |
