SOKORA REFUGEES

What do you do if one day, while in the school shower, you're suddenly whisked off to an alternate universe inhabited by elves and goblins, where your body is possessed by the spirit of a very powerful (and sexy) magical person? Self-absorbed teenager Kana finds herself in this very predicament when she enters the world of Sokora and her body becomes possessed by an elf sorceress. When she returns to school, she finds that the act of blushing transforms her from a regular, somewhat flat-chested schoolgirl into an extremely bodacious elf princess who can barely squeeze her assets into a plaid kilt and school blouse. Soon Kana and her schoolmates are hopping back and forth to Sokora to take on a dark prince, a horde of killer bumblebees, a gargoyle who can turn things to stone and a jealous humanoid raccoon cat. This tale rides the line between fun and madness—which is just where a good manga story should be. What sets this one apart is that it is produced by American creators who have all the conventions of Japanese manga down pat, from the high school soap opera to the generous portions of cheesecake. DeJesus's art is solid but not flashy, and the wacky but detailed story sets up entertaining subplots galore for future volumes. (Apr.)