Texarkana

In a future world where the Wild West heritage of the Southwest has taken over, self-styled legal squads roam the streets, dispensing instant justice. The groups consist of a prosecutor, a defender (who's rarely listened to), a judge and an executor. Trials are quick, and sentences are carried out immediately. When one of these groups is sent to New Asia, far out of its jurisdiction, to find an agitator, the team faces new challenges that make up the basis of this tale. The story's art matches its macho, rough-and-tumble world. The men are cowboys, with the exception of new member Simon, a sensitive guy just out of the academy. The women are either troll-like or eye candy. Writer Neighly and artist Hadiwidjaja offer their own interpretations of military clichés, such as the new kid who must come to terms with killing and the possibility of his own death. While the action in this science fiction with Western undertones is nonstop, the cluttered, sometimes clumsy art makes the story difficult to follow. As the first volume in a series, the tale has plenty of loose ends, which may leave some readers unsatisfied. (Aug.)