The Skull Man

Shotaro Ishinomori may not be a name that means much to gamers, unless because of a connection to the Legend of Zelda comics he produced. But, in the world of manga and anime, Ishinomori is a legend. Working with Osamu Tezuka, he became known as the protege of that great manga artist, but Ishinomori contributed much of his own original work to the art form. The Skull Man is the kind of hero who never asked for his powers, but during the notes for this first book in the Skull Man series, it is made clear that history will show Skull Man probably set the mold for the anti-hero in manga. The art is excellent, as realized by Kazuhiko Shimamoto, but the story is really what makes this character so compelling.

In addition to fine graphics, the presentation of this book is right-to-left on the page and in the binding. So, without any adaptation beyond translation, we now have this manga the way it was intended to be read.

Skull Man and his origins are unclear at this point, but we do know that he lives (or does he?) largely from a desire for vengeance after being wronged by a member of his own family. Through a twisted path, he connects with 2 assassins working together to eliminate him. They had not counted on such a tough adversary, and the partner Skull Man has chosen or been paired with is a shape-changer with some incredible powers, so the battle that ensues is excellent. And, at the end of this first installment, a raging fire seems to have burned away Skull Man and his enemies.