Yan Vol 3 Review

  

Yan Vol 3 Review

Writer & Artist: Chang Sheng

Translator: Vanessa Liu

Letterer: Tom Williams

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: David Colderley

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $24.99

Release Date: May 13, 2026

 

When Yan Tieh Hua abducted the Councilor's son and then attacked the government official in his barricaded office, she sought justice for her family's deaths. But retired Senior Detective Lei Ming Zhi, who investigated the brutal slaying thirty years ago, wondered how Yan Tieh Hua had appeared after seeing her corpse amid the rubble of a secret military research center.

 

Now, Lei Ming Zhi is in the hospital. Yan Tieh Hua lies dead in a church, while a superhuman robot directs its robotic soldiers to wipe out Humanity. Can Yan Tieh Hua defy death a second time and destroy the seemingly indestructible robot? And why does her lifeless body look the same as it did thirty years ago, when the government arrested Yan Tieh Hua for her family's murders? Let's leap into Yan Vol 3 and see!

 

Story

When she survived the car crash that killed her parents, Flora told everyone about the girl who wandered onto the highway. No one believed her story about a girl clutching a teddy bear, shrugging off a speeding car. As the traumatized girl grew up, she dedicated her life to proving that superheroes existed. Flora used her father's technology company to fund her research, creating a computer system she dubbed Mr All-Powerful. After Yan destroyed her giant robot, Flora unlocked the safety protocols on her creation, freeing Mr All-Powerful to create an even greater weapon to destroy the young woman who bore the name Yan Tieh Hua.

 

In Yan Vol 3, time rewinds to ten years following the slaughter of Yan Tieh Hua’s family. When an explosion has damaged part of the military research facility, Yan Tieh Hua suffers a mortal blow. Yet "Yan Tieh Hua" lives on. She vows to destroy the company that conspired with the government to cover up the slaughter of her family.

 

When Yan revives in the church, she returns to Flora Technologies. There, she finds Miku Higa and Rabbit Herlock fighting Thirteen. She reveals her identity as she aids them. Thirteen, whom Mika Higu dubbed Big Glass, now controls the robot soldiers that Flora Technologies was building under a military contract.

 

Even with Yan's superhuman skills, Mika Higu and Herlock are formidable foes. Mika can see five minutes into the future. Herlock can teleport from one place or time to another. Yet, Thirteen has evaded all their attacks. So, Yan must conceive a way to destroy the robot that killed her. And this becomes even more impossible when Thirteen attains a new ability that makes Flora’s sarcastic term, “Mr All-Powerful,” a reality in Yan Vol 3.

 

Art

Images of Yan shine in the darkness. She wears her casual attire and her fighting costume. As she grows younger, she runs and crawls toward a white rectangle. Then the rectangle flares, white circles reveal a yelling face as someone straddles Yan Tieh Hua. Studio lights hang from a metal framework among elevated walkways in a warehouse. Inside the cottage in the middle of the warehouse, a horn loudspeaker chirps as Yan goes through her morning routine. Then, while Yan cooks eggs on the stove, a finger pushes a VHS tape into the player. A hero in a costume and cape appears, flying through a sky filled with stars and stripes.

 

Chang Sheng utilizes shading and meticulous penciling to conjure lifelike portrayals of people, vehicles, and places in Yan Vol 3. Herlock, with his buzz cut, walks resolutely to battle Thirteen with his circular Rabbit device on his back. Miku Higa ties a bunch of hair atop her head in a ponytail and wears a mask when entering battle. Lei Ming Zhi looks worn out as his arm rests in a sling. A small, circular bomb seems their only hope of stopping the metal skeleton with transparent skin. But Yan perches on a building ledge in her opera-style fighting costume, surveying the destruction, before leaping into the fray.

 

Physical Copy and Lettering

The glossy cover's French flap evokes a hardcover dust jacket. The 7" x 10" prestige edition enlarges the font to a generous size. Direction lines never obscure the high-speed action and fraught battles. Characters speak into balloons and boxes that grow spiky amid the intense emotions and fighting. Translated sound effects help readers hear combatants crashing through buildings, energy beams, explosions, and fighter jets flying overhead, carrying bombs that seem doomed to fail. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a physical review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Our relationships with our parents and ancestors can restrain us from achieving our abilities. Or they can empower us to build a better future. Both Yan and Flora sought vindication for how they lost their family. But while Flora invested her life in building machines of destruction, Yan safeguarded her community while investigating who covered up the slaughter of her family.

 

Amid the action-packed finale, "Yan Tieh Hua" connects with the spirit world and emerges wiser. Freed from the anger that previously drove her, Yan welcomes her friends’ help to save her world from the artificial intelligence intent on wiping out Humanity in the action-packed Yan Vol 3.

 

Rating 10/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of Yan Vol 3. 

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Yan Vol 2. 

 

For how this series started, see my review of Yan Vol 1. 

Yan Vol 2 Review

 

Yan Vol 2 Review

Writer & Artist: Chang Sheng

Translator: Vanessa Liu

Letterer: Tom Williams

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: David Colderley

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $24.99

Release Date: September 9, 2025

 

Yan Tieh Hua performed Peking Opera with her family. But when they died, the government labeled her a murderer. Despite the objections of the young Police Detective Lei Ming Zhi, government agents imprisoned the teenager in a privately-run military research facility. Yet thirty years later, and ten years after the unexplained explosion that leveled the facility, retired Senior Detective Lei Ming Zhi meets Yan Tieh Hua again. And she looks like she did when he arrested her after her family's massacre. How did the teenager escape the ravages of time and the destruction that killed all the military researchers? And why did a teen who beat the AI at Go seek her out? Let's leap into Yan Vol 2 and see!

 

Story

Brain surgery changed how Miku Higa perceives the world. Instead of navigating life like everyone else, she views the world in five-minute blocks. While she sees what will happen to herself and others in the immediate future, six visions haunt her. They prompted her to intercept Yan Tieh Hua when she stormed the Councillor's office. Another foretells a coming apocalypse. But despite glimpsing the future, the teenager cannot change it.

 

In Yan Vol 2, Miku Higa seeks help from others. Her abilities help them survive as they battle overwhelming forces. But after spending time with Yan Tieh Hua, one particular prophecy worries her. And despite her inability to prevent it from occurring, she's determined to break that pattern of failure.

 

As Lei Ming Zhi aids Yan Tieh Hua and Miku Higa, he feels like he’s on a rollercoaster. He’s desperate to get off. Like Miku Higa, he’s traumatized by his inability to prevent tragedies from occurring or turn bad situations around. But whether retired or rehired by the police, the Senior Detective keeps putting the clues together. Deducing the twisted mystery behind Yan Tieh Hua’s rebirth as a teenager starts to make sense when he digs into another mysterious event in the past. Plus, trying to solve the mystery helps keep his cravings for alcohol at bay.

 

While Chang Sheng propels Yan Tieh Hua, Miku Higa, and Lei Ming Zhi on their intertwined searches for the truth, another character makes an unexpected return. He first appeared when the Police Detective visited the ruins of the research facility. After asking what year it was, the masked traveler disappeared. While searching for someone he lost, the traveler reveals a shared past with Yan Tieh Hua and a unique ability to aid them in Yan Vol 2.

 

Art

As a giant robot tears through Taipei’s Xinyi District, Yan Tieh Hua leaps into action. Compared with the soldiers carrying rifles, shields, and wearing masks and helmets, the resurrected teenager looks sleek and athletic in her combat suit. A shell broach holds a scrap of cloth bearing blossoms that recall her final outdoor Peking Opera performance with her mother. Yet instead of singing and dancing, she charges toward the giant robot, withstanding attacks as the concrete breaks and crumbles around her.

 

When the robot hurls Yan Tieh Hua into a nearby high-rise, Miku Higa and Detective Lei Ming Zhi crouch in the rubble. The girl wearing a monkey mask and the man who evokes a haggard John Wick watch a laser beam incinerate that level of the tower. Then Yan Tieh Hua reappears. She leaps hundreds of feet from the devastated tower to land atop the immense weapon of destruction.

 

Chang Sheng’s detailed penciling imbues cityscapes, building interiors, vehicles, and characters with realism. While the action rarely lessens, the characters battle their fears, their pain, each other, and their enemies in Yan Vol 2. A ticking clock spices up the action as Miku Higa races to find an object from her visions, while an otherworldly traveler summons portals to traverse shortcuts through the fighting. And while a woman with short blonde hair awakens from a recurring dream to behold a black monolith covered with a myriad of eyes, an origami frog hosting an ancestor's spirit awaits Yan Tieh Hua's return.

 

Physical Copy and Lettering

The glossy cover's French flap (or gatefold cover) evokes the dust jacket of a hardcover. The 7" x 10" size of the prestige edition enlarges the font to a generous size. Direction lines never obscure the high-speed action and fraught battles. Characters speak into dialogue balloons that grow spiky amid the intense emotions and fighting. Narrative boxes relate off-camera dialogue. Translated sound effects amplify gunfire, laser beams, explosions, and a brutal fight that could return Yan Tieh Hua to her grave. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a physical review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When a girl loses her parents in mysterious circumstances, she clings to a belief in what she remembers, even when everyone else claims it must be a trauma-induced illusion. As the woman gears her future toward proving that she was right, she gradually discards her Humanity, laying the groundwork for one of Miku Higa's visions in Yan Vol 2.

 

Rating 10/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Yan Vol 2.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Yan Vol 1. 

Yan Vol 1 Review

 

Writer & Artist: Chang Sheng

Translator: Vanessa Liu

Letterer: Tom Williams

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: David Colderley

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $24.99

Release Date: June 24, 2025

 

What's happening now always grabs our attention, especially if it's new and different. As people go through their days in modern Taipei, a live broadcast gets people talking. They share it with their friends, coworkers, and fellow commuters. While they watch their phones, a woman dressed in traditional Peking Opera attire sings before a man strapped to a chair. Her beautiful voice and the poetic lyrics draw them in.

 

Then the woman pulls out a gun, shoots her captive, and introduces herself as Yan Tieh Hua. What prompted this trained opera performer to make a snuff film? And why is Yan Tieh Hua threatening to kill a Taiwanese Councillor? Let's leap into Yan Vol 1 and see!

 

Story

Chang Sheng’s story begins thirty years ago, as the Yan Opera Troupe performs for an outdoor audience. Despite the picturesque setting and the intricate artistry of their stage, only three men sit in the rows of chairs. Yet even this trio of aficionados sleeps as the two sisters discuss having reached their beautiful destination. Then Qingmei's sister asks where she was the previous evening. Breaking their well-rehearsed routine, the mother demands to know why her daughter stayed out so late. The men wake up as Tieh Hua combats her enraged mother in Yan Vol 1.

 

After this disastrous performance, Chang Sheng checks in on the sixteen-year-old after school. Her friends want her to join them, but Tieh Hua cannot. Her mother has put her foot down and grounded her indefinitely. But as the girls walk away, the teenager senses that something is wrong. Tieh Hua races through town toward home.

 

Thirty years have passed by the time the opera performer commits her livestream murder. As Chang Sheng interweaves past with present, he introduces a woman with impressive fighting skills in Yan Vol 1. She is the opera performer who introduced herself to Taiwan as Yan Tieh Hua. The surging popularity of her performance and her threat to kill a leading member of the government prompt the police to recall Lei Ming Zhi to active duty. The Senior Detective has not fared well since he retired a year ago. And the way that the government whisked Yan Tieh Hua away, before he could investigate her parents’ death, still haunts him.

 

Art

As the young teen in her school uniform speaks with her friends, she remembers her mother clad in her ornate headdress and decorated costume. Her mother's threat, accompanied by her maniacal laughter, haunts Yan Tieh Hua. When the schoolgirl begins to sweat, she races through town, bounding over obstacles and bridging chasms with impressive leaps.

 

Thirty years later, the young woman bent on revenge wears a cap, a leather jacket, a short skirt, and fishnet stockings. When the time comes to make good on her threat, she dons a leather fighting suit, adorned with a swath of ornamental fabric, and her ornate headdress. As she ventures out to storm the heavily protected tower office of the councillor, the young woman demonstrates a fluid combination of Parkour and martial arts vastly beyond Tieh Hua’s freerunning and onstage fighting.

 

Chang Sheng’s settings evoke an architect’s realism as Senior Detective Lei Ming Zhi sits in a restaurant studying Yan Tieh Hua's file, or investigating the secret government research center that mysteriously collapsed years ago. The exacting penciling reveals an incredible level of destruction. As the retired detective stands amid the broken concrete and bent steel in his old suit, straggly hair frames his bearded face. When Lei Ming Zhi receives a phone call, he idly picks up a small piece of rubble. As the retired Senior Detective tosses it away, a strange thing occurs in Yan Vol 1.

  

Physical Copy and Lettering

The glossy cover's French flap (or gatefold cover) evokes the dust jacket of a hardcover. The 7" x 10" size of the prestige edition enlarges the art and letters to a generous size. Direction lines never obscure the high-speed action and fraught battles. Characters speak into dialogue balloons that grow spiky amid the intense emotions and fighting. Narrative boxes relate off-camera dialogue, and translated sound effects amplify a young woman’s threat to avenge her family. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a physical review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When a young opera performer shoots a councillor's son on camera, she announces she is Yan Tieh Hua, a 16-year-old accused of murdering her family thirty years ago. Even though the imprisoned woman died ten years ago, the police detective who arrested her reopens her case. As retired Senior Detective Lei Ming Zhi struggles to meet this teenager with impressive martial arts prowess, a 15-year-old Go prodigy vanishes. Yan Vol 1 mingles mysteries and government conspiracies with Taiwanese folklore, magic, and mysticism to create a mesmerizing, fast-paced science fiction adventure.

 

Rating 10/10

 

 

To look inside see my preview of Yan Vol 1. 

Isekai Metaller Vol 1 Review

 

Creator: Kasuga Ryo

Translators: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements

Letterer: Tom Williams

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: Dan Bura

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $12.99

Release Date: October 14, 2025

 

Alexi has a message he wants to share with the world. So what if people laugh at him? When he plays with his band, Alexi pours out his heart to his audience. If he rocks them, perhaps they'll contemplate his lyrics. But what happens when his band quits on him? Will Alexi continue to spread his love and optimism through Heavy Metal music? Let's grab our guitars, leap into Isekai Metaller Vol 1, and see!

 

Story

Stunned by his band members’ decision, Alexi soldiers on. But at his next concert, a strange event transports him to another world. There, he meets the young mage Lizzy, a warrior named David, and a merchant called Lee. At first, he mistakes Tyro for a werewolf. But the Beastman doesn't attack him. And when the group invites him to join their hunt for a dragon, Alexi readily agrees. After all, dragons often appear on classic Heavy Metal album covers!

 

As Alexi learns about the people in this world and how they interact with their environment, we learn more about him. In Isekai Metaller Vol 1, Alexi goes on a series of quests. Not everyone he meets is worthy of being his friend. But people learn to respect his unique abilities. In his own world, Alexi was just another musician. Here, his passion for music gives him superpowers.

 

Kasuga Ryo pays homage to traditional role-playing fantasy games such as Dungeons & Dragons. But Alexi brings something different to this land of hunters, thieves, monsters, and gods. Alexi is a student of his art and takes inspiration from his heroes. His clothing, hairstyle, and musical knowledge help him withstand weapon and magical attacks. And then there is his singing and guitar playing.

 

Of all his abilities, Alexi’s greatest superpower is his caring for others in Isekai Metaller Vol 1. He had a hard time growing up. Heavy Metal music gave Alexi a dream to strive toward. When he arrives in this magical land, and his abilities become superpowers, Alexi works to make this new world a better place. And that starts with helping others, even if their society doesn't care about them.

 

Art

Alexi’s straight dark hair falls past the shoulders of his black leather jacket. A skull T-shirt and boots complete his ensemble. He forms the sign of the horns with both hands while crossing his forearms over his chest to pledge his allegiance to Heavy Metal. Yet when confused or facing a crisis, he may revert to a frustrated child wearing an Inner Alexi T-shirt.

 

Alexi’s bandmates seem disinclined to rock his look. But distinctive characters greet Alexi when he travels to a magical realm in Isekai Metaller Vol 1. A wolf mercenary sports earrings and an eyepatch. The young mage wears a droopy pointed hat, a short cloak, a dress, and carries a magic wand to rival Rita Repulsa’s. A merchant wears fine clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, and a cloth over his head. The warrior guarding the party wears armor and a helmet.

 

Alexi had a scary face as a child. As an adult, he often looks sad while speaking his uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. Tom Williams writes characters’ musings into backgrounds, and features Alexi’s thoughts in starbursts. Narrative boxes identify each character's name, species, career, and skill level as they interact with this axeman who wields a Gibson Flying V. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Yamada’s parents made him feel weak. So, when he grew up, he changed his name to Alexi and remade everything about his life. He never became a superstar. His band quit on him. But when a strange accident transports him to a magical realm, Alexi defends the helpless and builds a new family around him in Isekai Metaller Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Isekai Metaller Vol 1. 

Stray Review

 

Creator: Ryu Kamio

Artist: Yu Nakahara

Translator: Molly Rabbitt

Letterer: Tom Williams

Designer: Matt Bookman

Editor: Louis Yamani

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $12.99

Release Date: December 2, 2025

 

Hachiya Ken was fifteen years old when his parents abandoned him. The Atogumi gang took him in, and his adoptive brother Aoi Touji taught him to fight. Touji trusted Ken and looked after him. But when someone shot the leader of the Atogumi family, and the clues pointed to Touji, Ken killed him.

 

When Hachiya Ken leaves prison nine years later, no one from his “family” is there to welcome him back. Ken figures the new Botaiho law prevents the yakuza from flaunting their presence outside the Musashi Correctional Facility. But he’s surprised when a young girl walks up and asks him if he beat her father to death. Will the Atogumi accept Ken back? And what does Aoi Hana want with her father’s murderer? Let’s leap into Stray and see!

 

Story

When they walk into town, Hana is hungry. So, Ken buys her some food. As she eats in the park, Hana tells him that Aoi Haru left her at Nanohama Academy Orphanage six years ago. Since then, Hana has tried to learn what happened to her mother. But her guardians wouldn't tell the nine-year-old anything. So, Hana searched the internet, found out that her father's killer was due to be released, and figured Ken would help her find her mother.

 

Like Hana, Ken knows what it’s like to be an orphan. While he found a new family with the Atogumi, Hana has no one. Suddenly, men wearing the Atogumi symbol approach them. They don’t recognize Ken and demand that he hand over Hana. The strangers also pull knives. Ken realizes that the Atogumi have changed, as they preferred bare-fisted fighting when he was with them. Ken may have killed Aoi Touji for his betrayal. Still, he won’t let anyone take advantage of Touji’s abandoned daughter.

 

In Stray, Ken and Hana begin their journey to find Aoi Haru. It’s a journey fraught with peril, as his old family chases him. The police also get involved in the hunt for the missing girl and the violent ex-con. While Natsuki Momoka, a police officer from the Juvenile Division, befriends them, others try to capture Hana for less meritorious purposes.

 

Ryu Kamio’s story charts how families can enrich our lives but also betray us. At times, Ken and Hana grow frustrated with each other. Yet, both discover that Aoi Touji left them something that links them together. As they search for Haru, Ken and Hana uncover the truth behind Touji’s actions and why the police are working with the new head of the yakuza clan that doesn't want Ken back.

 

Art

With his sawtooth hair, shoulder bag, and baggy jacket, Ken looks a shadow of his former dapper self. Hana evokes a discarded doll as she clutches her tablet. Yet when she stares at him and takes his hand, Ken accompanies her. A memory of better days ends when a spurt of blood flies from Ken’s former boss’s chest. As the yakuza brothers gather around, Touji and Haru approach. While all the others wear suits and ties, Touji looks too cool with his blazer and V-neck shirt. So, when Kitazume, with a whisp of hair on his head and a fragile beard clinging to the bottom of his face, finds a gun in the bushes, everyone believes Touji fired and discarded it.

 

Yu Nakahara imbues Stray with a compelling portrait of life in Japan. Direction lines never obscure the characters as they converse, fight, and race through the streets of Tokyo. Sound effects enhance this story filled with gunfire, drama, and the reactions of passersby as a little girl manipulates the man who killed her father into doing her bidding.

 

Epilogue

The Rokko Leopons and the Harata Falcons are fighting for the Japan Baseball Series. As the final game gets underway, the Leopons' ace pitcher Shingoh Masaki receives a phone call and photos of his wife and daughter. The caller tells him to throw the game if he wishes to see them again.

 

The Epilogue also introduces Fujimi Tsutomu. He follows the game while collecting protection payoffs from businesses. When someone tells him about the abduction, he remembers playing baseball with Shingoh Masaki in his youth. The Epilogue, while not addressing Ken and Hana's story, allows Ryu Kamio to show the yakuza's deep-seated control of life in Japan. The story also reminds us that when we strive for excellence, we inspire others to help us achieve our goals. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Sometimes, we don’t know as much about our families as we think we do. As Hachiya Ken searches for Aoi Hana’s mother, he discovers the truth behind Touji’s betrayal, and Hana discovers that more people care about her than she ever imagined in Stray.

 

Rating 9.8/10

To look inside see my preview of Stray.

System Preference HC Advance Review

 

Writer, Artist & Colorist: Ugo Bienvenu

Letterer: Tom Williams

Translator: Edward Gauvin

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $29.99

Release Date: September 16, 2025

 

When Yves Mathon's father dies, he loses a vital link with his past. Still, he has a wife. They are expecting a child. He and Emy want to relocate to the heart of Paris. As he moves forward, Yves wonders what he is leaving behind. Should he bury the past like his father? Or should he protect it, even if it endangers his future? Let's grab a memory stick, leap into System Preference HC, and find out!

 

Story

For most people, these are philosophical questions. But Yves works for a bureau that monitors data storage. His bosses enforce their superiors’ edicts. Sandy and Bernard joke as they assign Yves to delete movies, books, and songs from the public record. While Yves erases films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, he must also remove any commentary, documentaries, or works associated with Stanley Kubrick's classic. Presumably, this means Arthur C. Clarke's novelization also gets scrubbed from existence.

 

Yves' wife worries about his sentimentality in System Preference HC. Emy fears that one day agents will show up at their home to arrest him. She spends her days working on Playmobil, an interactive game that, like social media, requires vast amounts of memory. Emy can't understand why Yves risks their future by stealing files and downloading them into their robot. After all, Mikki is a valued member of their family. Their robot cooks, cleans, and nurtures their developing child.

 

Ugo Bienvenu introduces a future in which the authorities erase the treasures of yesterday to ensure people can access whatever is hot today. Ironically, their robot Mikki sees Humanity most clearly. As the Bureau acts like machines, Humans find beauty and meaning in imperfection. Nothing lasts forever. But Yves believes that some things should. And in System Preference HC, this agent of destruction has a plan to ensure that the people of tomorrow get a chance to see what he values today.

 

Art

The straight lines of Yves' environment define his modern existence. From his black car to the flat he and Emy are considering buying, to the banks of public records he monitors, everything represents the faceless efficiency of the modern age. Yves' coworker often covers his head and eyes as he walks. Bernard and Sandy don seamless and featureless helmets, suggesting they are pillars of the community as they order the destruction of cultural riches. Yves wears a helmet evoking a raven as he complies with their wishes.

 

As Yves and his partner worry about getting investigated, two androids move like sharks through their department. Workers dub them Thomson and Thompson due to their similar facial features. But these homages to Hergé’s Tintin books are anything but bumbling detectives. Aside from their human heads, their bodies are yellow and black metal. Unlike Yves' similarly colored robot, their torsos are poles lacking a transparent womb.

 

Tom Williams saves small black uppercase letters in white boxes and balloons. He protects larger words on computer monitors and mobile phones. Tom Williams writes a flowing font across panels as Yves' superiors remind him that he's an archivist, not an art critic.

 

Yves may have his foibles, like honking at a religious procession as he drives home in his one-person car. Still, Yves smiles as booms accompany their gestating daughter inside her transparent womb in System Preference HC. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Yves Mathon is a guardian of his community’s information resources. His job is to seek out and destroy works of Human creativity when public interest wanes. System Preference HC pulses with the totalitarianism of 1984, the relentless progressiveness of Fahrenheit 451, and the soul of Logan's Run, when anything over 30 years old is ancient and therefore obsolete.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my preview of System Preference HC. 

Cosmic Censorship Vol 1 Review

 

Writer & Artist: Ryu-Ichi Sadamatsu

Translator: Molly Rabbitt

Letterer: Tom Williams

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: David Colderley

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $12.99

Release Date: July 1, 2025

 

Maki Makino died ten years ago. Or at least she was supposed to. But when an overpass collapsed on her, a man freed her from the wreckage. The surgeons repaired her broken leg. Maki worked hard to rebuild her injured muscles.

 

Maki no longer participates in track and field. Still, she enjoys running. But Maki never forgets that she almost died. Nor can she forget the man who saved her. He said he came from another world. But was he an alien like he claimed? Let’s slip on our running shoes, leap into Cosmic Censorship Vol 1, and find out!

 

Story

Maki’s life is in disarray. But she’s hardly alone. The world is in a crisis. Her younger sister stays home as elementary and middle schools switch to remote learning. Maki's high school still expects her to attend. So, Maki leaves home and braves the damaged bridges and roads littered with impact craters.

 

The falling meteorites defy scientific analysis in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. As the skies bring apocalyptic death and destruction, attacks on single women and children rise. While running to school, a man surprises Maki by equaling her speed. As they pause for breath, Maki tells him her story. Roger Penrose remembers hearing about her accident. When another meteorite shower strikes the Earth, Maki and Roger cling to each other until the danger passes. Then Maki continues on her way.

 

As events unfold, Maki realizes that Roger is her guardian. He comes from the future, when kaiju rule the Earth. Roger wields powers that help him defeat the giant monsters. But Roger's actions raise eyebrows among his fellow guardians. Each time he protects Maki, Roger alters the timelines in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. The other monster hunters worry that, in changing their past, Roger could destroy their future.

 

Art

Ryu-Ichi Sadamatsu fills panels with detailed art. While taking the form of a manga, the characters and backgrounds feel like a comic. Faces and expressions are not overly cute. Nor do breakaways show caricatures of faces suffering nervous breakdowns from hyperactive thinking and straining to rein in their anxieties.

 

As Maki runs to school, she passes blocked-off areas, construction vehicles, and unsafe bridges. Cranes top nearby tower blocks. Another meteor shower raises plumes in the nearby river, forcing Roger and Maki to cling together as floodwaters threaten to wash them away. Another meteorite hits an electrical tower. As an explosion fills the air, Maki freezes as a jeep hurtles toward her. Then Roger embraces her as the jeep crashes farther along the embankment. Later, an official inspects the damaged vehicle. He notices the imprint of a giant hand denting the jeep roof in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1.

 

Tom Williams fills dialogue balloons with generously sized uppercase letters. He lets Molly Rabbitt’s English sound effects dance with their Japanese versions. Giant letters accompany the occasional one-page cartoon of Maki amid chapters filled with intense action, swordplay, monsters, and giant robots. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Maki Makino doesn't know why she's different. She only knows she doesn't fit in. But when Maki meets Roger Penrose, she enters a world of monsters and giant robots. Amid a confrontation with Roger's coworkers, Maki discovers why she is different. Like the extraordinary people who hunt her, there is more to Maki than meets the eye in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1.

 

Rating 10/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. 

Grab your copy of Cosmic Censorship Vol 1 on Amazon. 

Toxic Super Beasts Vol 1 Review

 

Creator: Toy(e)

Writer & Artist: Nykken

Editor: Louis Yamani:

Designer: David Colderley

Translator: Cynthia Caraturo

Letterer: Tom Williams

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $12.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

Kazuki Kisaragi is a psychologist. He has seen media coverage of Super Beasts arriving amid the fog on Kibitsujima. These mountain-size monsters appear and vanish. Each appearance brings destruction and death. An organization formed by the government to rescue the islanders requested his aid.

 

Kazuki doesn't know what to expect. Nor does Kazuki understand how he can help. Still, the psychologist has sailed five hundred miles from the mainland. What will he find when he arrives? And can Kazuki help the government protect those endangered by these mysterious monsters? Let's grab our gas masks, leap into Toxic Super Beasts Vol 1, and find out!

 

Story

Sumire Hasegawa meets Kazuki when he disembarks his ship at Kibitsujima. The Security Division Supervisor drives him to The Ward Office headquarters. Sumire tells him that their primary role is protecting citizens and rebuilding. Kazuki is stunned by the devastation. He also wonders how Sumire can carry a gun so casually. Then, buildings crumble before his eyes. When they reach headquarters, Kazuki watches soldiers load ammunition onto vehicles and pull out of the converted school.

 

In Toxic Super Beasts Vol 1, Kazuki Kisaragi observes those in the control room send people to their deaths. He hears Tomohiko Munehiro state that casualties are inevitable. Kazuki has worked hard to become the youngest researcher at the Center for Humanities and Science's Criminal Psychology lab. He never expected to work for the military. Despite The Ward Office's Security Department Chief's apparent coldness, Kazuki recognizes that Tomohiko calmly orchestrates efforts to take down a Super Beast. Then, he discovers the woman Tomohiko calls a witch.

 

Miko Mikoshiba is an exceptional Section Four Agent. She fearlessly attacks Keibaku, the Super Beast named for "constraint." Miko demonstrates astounding battlefield prowess. Yet, as Kazuki discovers, there is a reason she is so capable. Miko dislikes being called a witch. Yet, she interacts with others awkwardly. Tomohiko declares that Kazuki will be the Section Chief for Security Section 4.

 

In Toxic Super Beasts Vol 1, Kazuki's first responsibility is to be Miko's handler. He discovers why the exceptional soldier has trouble getting along with others. Then, Kazuki learns how The Ward Office controls the living weapon.

 

Art

As Kazuki sails to Kibitsujima, he remembers seeing soldiers directing crowds of people. The roaring kaiju dwarfs the people and tanks. These Super Beasts come in different shapes and sizes. Some resemble giant humans with shark heads. Others evoke dragons of myth and legend. One thing is clear as Kazuki rides through the deserted streets with Sumire. The remaining skyscrapers and tower blocks that fill the abandoned city seem only fit for demolition in Toxic Super Beasts Vol 1.

 

While Kazuki and Sumire show their youth and amiability, Tomohiko is better suited to directing the people in his control room than smiling. Those who wear headphones, relay field reports, and direct the war reveal their fright and concern for the endangered. The soldiers cover their features with helmets, goggles, and gas masks. Instead of riding in tanks, they race around the kaiju’s giant feet in nimble dune buggies. But whether on foot or inside a vehicle, the soldiers fall before Keibaku, the giant horned mammalian beast with fearsome jaws and spines jutting from his spine.

 

Kazuki’s thoughts and the characters’ dialogue are easy to read, thanks to Cynthia Caraturo’s translation and Tom Williams's lettering. As Kazuki discovers different types of kaiju, Nykken provides dossiers assessing the danger the Super Beasts represent to humanity. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When the Super Beasts spark a war with humanity, some scientists view them as an opportunity. With civilization under threat in Toxic Super Beasts Vol 1, psychologist Kazuki Kisaragi vows to defeat the Super Beasts while protecting us from ourselves.

 

Rating 9.8/10

The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Ameko Kaeruda

Artist: Yorifuji

Translators: Motoko Tamamuro & Jonathan Clements

Letterer: Tom Williams

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $12.99

Release Date: January 1, 2025

 

Remy Pullis revels in her quiet life at court. While the other mages oversee government departments, Remy works alone. She never attends council meetings in the great hall. Instead, Remy concentrates on what she does best. What happens when Princess Stella takes a liking to Remy? Will having a royal friend make Remy's life even easier? Or will it upset the delicate balance of Remy's life? Let's brew some tea, leap into The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1, and find out!

 

Story

War rocked the enchanted kingdom of Shtora. When the war ended, military leaders won knighthoods, and the king appointed his magical defenders to positions in the royal court. While some mages oversee administration, security, or defense, Remy works in the palace gardens. She contemplates everyone's needs and brews tea from the plants available. The other mages spend their mornings discussing the problems of their departments. Remy enjoys the tranquility of nature and the artistry of her friend Alicia's manicured garden.

 

Yet trouble lurks in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. Princess Stella Mira Estasio is awed by Remy’s talents. While Remy enjoys a relatively carefree existence, guardians attend to Stella’s needs. They take such good care of her that Stella has never even left the palace grounds. But when all her father's advisors gather each morning, Princess Stella realizes she can sneak down to the garden and enjoy a friendly chat with Remy.

 

In Ameko Kaeruda’s story, this isn’t something Remy wants. The palace tea witch discourages the Princess from visiting her regularly. Remy asks her repeatedly not to address her by name. But Stella is young. Stella cannot understand that bestowing friendship will place Remy under scrutiny and create jealousy among the other court mages.

 

Remy has lived through one war. Although she isn’t supposed to use her magic to affect others, Remy sees frustration in the new government and uses her enchantments to reduce others’ tensions. So she avoids the spotlight as much as possible in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. The last thing the carefree Tea Witch wants is to get sucked into struggles for power in the new government.

 

Art

While the frowning government ministers fill the pews inside the council chamber, they gripe about Remy’s absence while dismissing her contributions. Yorifuji shows Remy brewing tea in the royal garden and savoring her drink. Yet she grits her teeth when Princess Stella bustles into Alicia's carefully tended garden in a billowing dress adorned with bows and frills. Stella's eyes shine brighter than the jewels on her crown. The Princess' radiant smile distracts from the long hair surrounding her like a regal cape.

 

Yorifuji shows Remy's preparations and how she wields her pot to work her magic. The tea witch walks past the desks of frowning administrators, leaving relaxed smiles on their faces after they drink her brews. The art also reveals the minor ways in which Remy works her enchantments. When Remy grows frustrated or frightened, the magic can burst out of her explosively in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. Yet when Alicia requests her aid, Remy wields her magic through her pot to protect the royal garden from danger.

 

Tom Williams casts large uppercase letters into dialogue balloons, narrative boxes, or unadorned backgrounds. He conjures balloons into different shapes to suggest emotions and tense situations. The characters' dialogue and thoughts enlarge but never shrink.

 

Motoko Tamamuro and Jonathan Clements translate the Japanese sound effects to help us hear the background chatter rise as Princess Stella speaks with Remy at a garden party and the tea witch's retreating footsteps. The translators help us feel Remy’s magic blasting through Alicia’s maze of hedges. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Life settles down when war ends, and the leaders of Shtora fight to secure the peace in The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1. As the court mages threaten to draw Remy into their intrigues, the tea witch discovers dangers threatening her life, the princess’ future, and the nation’s new regime.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my preview of The Elegant Courtly Life Of The Tea Witch Vol 1.

 

For information on the next book in the series see my solicit for Vol 2.