Two-in-One Review: Project Arms Teen angst and cybernetic technology combine in Viz's new Project Arms. Randy: For about two months, all I heard at my job from the anime fans was that Spriggan was going to be shown at the local arthouse theatre, and how exciting that was. I never did see Spriggan, but I can get some sense of what all the hype was about with a new project by the same creators, this time the action/cyberpunk comic Project Arms. Don: The final product consists of 64 black-and-white pages, but Randy and I are just taking a cursory glance, as Viz sent along a bundle of pages that comprise the first scene. Though it's hard to get an accurate feel of the book from this brief preview, one thing is clear: Project Arms will be exciting. Project Arms Part One #1 published by Viz Comics created by Ryouji Minagawa & Kyouchi Nanatsuki english adaptation by Lance Caselmann translated by Katy Bridges touch-up art/lettering by Bill Shuch edited by Andy Nakatani scheduled for release in Sept.4 Don: High-school student Roy Takatsuki discovers that his classmate is missing, and he's apparently being pursued by her mercenary kidnappers. He has no idea why they're after him -- they believe he has a piece of rare, powerful technology -- and the teenager soon finds himself taking a stand against his assailants in a local park. Randy: The basic concept of this one -- a normal teenager with a highly abnormal piece of technology -- fits right into the power-fantasy structure that I've noticed in a fair bit of manga (and comics overall). I've always had a bit of a soft spot for stories involving cybernetics, whether it was the novels of William Gibson, the comic-book adventures of Deathlok or any number of movies that include the ideas of man merging with machine. However, I found these early pages of the first issue to be remarkably light in terms of plot and character development, and I found myself wishing for a more sizable chunk of story to really give a sense of what was going on. Don: Nomrally, I'd agree, but given that this is only a partial preview of the book, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. Actually, I found even in this brief look, Ryo boasts a lot of personality. He comes off as he should... as an Everyman (or Everyteen, I suppose). We also learn that he's an exceptionally bright and resourceful person, and I like that in a protagonist. Randy: I agree with you about Ryo, but he stands out as the only character with any real personality so far. I'd be happier if the decompressed storytelling was used, as it often is in manga, to give more room for impressive action sequences, but the action in this book is generally kept off-panel and mostly in the readers' imagination. When Ryo first battles the soldiers near the soda machine, we don't see any of what happens. Ditto for his traps and inventive combat skills in the park, and so we're left with the writer having to tell us how accomplished the character is, rather than the artist showing us. Don: I rather enjoyed the technique, especially in its first instance. The writer leads us to believe one thing is going to happen -- Ryo is blindsided -- when the opposite proves to be the case. I thought it made for a fun moment and clearly demonstrated that there's more to Ryo than meets the eye. Randy: There's an interesting hook in Project Arms, but it isn't evident in the story itself. The press material drew me in, but the first issue doesn't give any indication of what makes Ryo a target, or what gives him his abilities, and for someone coming in cold, I suspect the result is going to be an ultimately unsatisfying read. Ryo is characterized as a smart and capable young man, but no one else gets any sort of real development, and the story skimps on revealing any sort of plot or premise details. Instead, we get sort of the first five minutes of an action/suspense story, and while the action moves along at a rapid pace, I felt like the overall plot was fairly slow. But I get the sense that you disagree. Don: The creators don't waste any time with this story. Our hero is thrown into the deep end of the pool right away; by the second page, the action has already begun. I usually enjoy a slow buildup, but the creators grab the reader right away with excitement, filtered through the eyes of a character to which s/he can relate. Randy: Project Arms does intrigue me, as the visual style and basic concept is reminiscent of Akira in some respects, and it fits nicely into the generally interesting technological conspiracy thriller genre. However, this partial glimpse of the first issue didn't have quite enough information to hook me. For more information on Project Arms, visit http://www.viz.com. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.