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Bokurano Ours, Vol. 1

Mohiro Kitoh. Viz, $12.99 paper (200p) ISBN 978-1-4215-3361-2

This new series from Mohiro Kitoh (Shadow Star) offers a fresh and unsettling take on the giant robot genre with not one but 15 young protagonists collectively piloting a giant robot. One day on a beach hike at summer science class, a group of junior high kids stumble upon a strange man in a cave filled with computers. The man effortlessly coerces the teens into playing an ominous "game" defending the Earth from gigantic aliens in an equally enormous robot. Although most of the children in the story feel safe, Kitoh effectively establishes a mood of terrifying dread in the reader. Kitoh's teens are in mortal danger and eerily unaware of the scope of their predicament-at least until one them accidentally dies. Kitoh's stark artwork is appealing. The teens pilot the robot from a voidlike cockpit populated with 15 floating chairs, each one drawn to reflect one protagonist's personality. The bare cockpit complements the empty space around the alien-looking robot "Zearth" as he stands between the sea and the sky. The teens are instructed by an untrustworthy floating robot teddy bear with sharp, pointy teeth. The series originally ran in the alternative manga magazine IKKI, and as such, it has a definite alternative comics appeal. (Feb.)

Newave! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s

Edited by Michael Dowers. Fantagraphics, $24.99 (887p) ISBN 978-1-60699-313-2

In his introduction to this fascinating treasure trove of an anthology, Dower describes drawing, folding, and stapling his first minicomic back in 1982. Many others were doing the same and their combined efforts added up to a do-it-yourself scene in which "obsessed nutballs" drew like crazy and made trips to the copy shops to get their work out there before the Web. In addition to work by greats like Artie Romero, Rick Geary, and Mary Fleener, and 50 or so others, the book serves as the history of a movement. The Newave Manifesto, written by Clay Geerdes in 1983 starts things off, and introductions and interviews preceding each creator's work puts it in context, while the list of artist Web sites at the end gives readers much more to discover. Some highlights include Dada Gumbo, in which a series of artists riff on the idea of dada; the 1993 comix ode to Louise Brooks by Molly Keily, whose black-and-white drawings offer seductive closeups of the actress's iconic eyes and hairstyle; and Brad Foster's Eternal Conflict, in which a man tries to get through dinner in clear line drawings that coolly present his absurdist difficulties. (Feb.)

Other Lives

Peter Bagge. DC/Vertigo, $29.99 (136p) ISBN 978-1-4012-1902-4

Bagge (Hate) again sets his sights on aspects of contemporary human dysfunction, this time focusing on a cast of characters who each hide behind fabricated identities. "Vader Ryderbeck"-né Vladimir Rostov-is a journalist who cannot move past his awkward teenage years and wallows in unwarranted self-loathing while coping with what remains of his Russian immigrant family. Vladimir encounters a scruffy conspiracy theorist who claims to work for the CIA, and can't shake the feeling that he's met the guy before. Upon deciding to interview the conspiracy nut, Vladimir sets in motion an escalating series of events involving himself, the alleged CIA operative, his old friend Woodrow (who is now an online gaming addict) and his live-in girlfriend, Ivy, who resorts to an online fantasy gaming persona for fulfillment when Vladimir fails to make good on his feeble marriage proposal. To say more would give away the surprises Bagge has in store for those who approach this story cold; while not as funny as some of his previous works more based on social commentary, this is prime Bagge that will surprise readers with its artistic maturity and a plot that is in no way predictable. (Apr.)

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