Shin Zero

Fighting monsters becomes just a nine-to-five in this slyly funny, unexpectedly affecting slipstream dramedy from Bablet (Carbon & Silicon) and Singelin (Frontier). In an alternate universe, sentai hero squads in Power Rangers–like costumes protect civilians, but all major kaiju threats have been wiped out, so they’re relegated to mall security jobs and unglamorous gig work. There’s even a “Sentai-cam” service, where patrons can buy private time with their faves. Rebellious Eloise, eager to get out of her parents’ house, moves into an all-hero apartment building and joins a sentai team along with her wary friend Warren. Gung-ho fellow crew member Satoshi believes the killer monsters of the past will return, but more immediate danger arises from the neglected remnants of old government kaiju-fighting projects. The worldbuilding grows deeper and denser as the story progresses, revealing an alternate history sprinkled with kaiju, mecha, and superheroes. Singelin’s art, a lively mix of European and Japanese influences, recalls Geof Darrow, Taiyō Matsumoto, and Katsuhiro Otomo, with sweeping multicultural cityscapes and urban detritus. His characters’ rubbery, often hangdog expressions show touches of Naoki Urasawa. This charmer is at once an in-the-know parody and a loving expansion of the fantasy genres it references. (Mar.)