Battle Angel Alita Mars Chronicles volume 1 by Yukito Kishiro and published by Kodansha





The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics and underground artists.

Today we are looking at "Battle Angel Alita Mars Chronicles" volume 1 by Yukito Kishiro and published in the United States by Kodansha Comics.

A word of warning for anyone that does not know the Battle Angel / Gunnm franchise. This is the third series in the overall story. It starts with Battle Angel / Gunnm, then moves to Battle Angel Alita Last Order / Gunnm Last Order, and then to Mars Chronicles. So pick this book up if it intrigues you but you will need to start from Battle Angel in order to get all the plot points.

Now, a word of warning about this franchise. I am extremely biased towards it and I consider Yukito Kishiro-San one of the best artists and story tellers I have ever seen in a manga artist. Now, with that in mind, lets dive into this book.

The books are designed in a Shonen (boys) comic style and it is very action oriented. The artist is notorious for using extremely detailed splash pages and will drag on a story to make you feel like it is complete. He also shows no fear when it comes to killing off characters and does not do nudity in his books. It is a very action and martial arts styled book. The first book focuses on her childhood so the drama is limited.

The story picks up where Battle Angel Alita Last Order ends, thus continuing the story of Alita (Gally) and starts to focus on her experiences / flash backs with Mars. Now this issue is not very action oriented at first. It goes into her as a child very deeply and you start to see what made Alita into who she was. The art work is very beautiful as usual and it is extremely detailed. Kishiro shows no expense when it comes to his overall art and will use styles that are very American and also styles that are very Japanese. The backgrounds are detailed and give off a very deserted and abandoned kind of feel. Sadly this book takes place where most of the villains and story elements of Battle Angel and Last Order have been satisfied or ended so it makes you feel lost not seeing something that you know besides Erica and Yoko but who knows where this is going. I am very intrigued to see what more is going to be introduced to fill the voids.

This franchise is expected to pick up steam with the new Alita: Battle Angel movie so hopefully these books will not be considered gold any more and you will be able to pick up all the books with ease. This book was released this month so it should be easier to find. I had to go out of my way and order it in Barnes and Nobles so they have it but most likely do not have it on the shelves.

I finished this book and felt compelled to read more. This is a new and ongoing franchise. The series for Battle Angel Alita and Battle Angel Alita are both finished but are considered a pretty rare series! A full manga set for everyone with the two previous series! The books are not cheap on ebay but do not feel afraid to check local stores for cheaper options. I highly recommend this book.

Score time:

Art: 10 / 10
Story: 8 / 10
Flow of book: 8 / 10
Impression after reading: want more

Reviewed and shared by Harry Kohles of Metairie, Louisiana. Former art student with a fetish for corny realism. Helping to share comics and mangas you never knew existed~

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