Sazan & Comet Girl

Akase’s debut, a space opera, is as colorful and exhilarating as her effervescent heroine, Comet Girl. Sazan, a young construction worker from Earth, leads an ordinary life, until he misses the “last earth-bound rocket” returning from a job and gets picked up from the transfer station by Mina, a red-headed girl on a space scooter willing to give him a ride home. But trouble follows: space pirates attack them, and Sazan is shocked to discover that who he thought was a “normal girl” is in fact the infamous Comet Girl—a being storing immense energy inside her body. Unable to fully control her abilities and constantly hunted by those desperate to steal her powers, Mina is also known as the “Harbinger of Disaster.” The work bursts with offhand humor (“What, she peed outta her eyes?”) and a cast of eccentric characters, and the quirky retro art style pulls inspiration from classics such as Astro Boy and Dragon Ball Z. This fast-paced, rowdy omnibus delivers a fun-filled space adventure, accessible for manga newbies. (Sept.)