The hardcover packaging makes Fist of the North Star stand out on any shelf.

“You might be already useless.”

It’s these iconic phrases uttered by Kenshiro that immediately make him one of many coolest manga protagonists to ever be drawn. By utilizing his particular martial artwork approach, Hokuto Shinken (the Divine Fist of the North Star), Ken is ready to trigger his foes to blow up from inside. It’s a putting visible, and the artwork by Tetsuo Hara is sort of grotesque, which permits for cocky enemies to imagine they’ve the higher hand earlier than they in the end perish. It solely takes a number of pages of studying Fist of the North Star (or alternatively Hokuto no Ken) to know that Ken is an effortlessly cool hero.

The VIZ Signature Version manga of Fist of the North Star offers the legendary 1983 manga written by Buronson the therapy it deserves. The opening pages are shiny and stuffed with shade, though the majority of the 300-page quantity is comprised of the manga paper that followers have grown to know and love. Actually, it was nearly jarring at first to see manga printed on shiny paper (even when only for a number of pages), and holding a hardcover quantity was unusual at first. Nevertheless, the deluxe packaging is a pleasure to see, and the presentation is actually top-notch. That is precisely the therapy an all-time traditional manga deserves.

Left is the standard manga paper, whereas the web page on the fitting is on shiny paper.

Whereas I’m no Fist of the North Star historian, I’ve develop into aware of the collection because of the animated variations over time and a few current online game releases (take a look at Sega’s glorious Fist of the North Star: Misplaced Paradise, particularly in case you just like the Yakuza collection). So it was a no brainer to take a look at the manga that created the post-apocalyptic world that takes some clear inspiration from Mad Max that I’ve come to get pleasure from. The wasteland dreamt up by Buronson is stuffed with drama, cool characters that vary from good-looking to grotesque, and loads of motion.

This thick quantity options the primary 13 chapters of the manga. The writing of Buronson retains the plot transferring at an amazing tempo, with characters being launched all all through the quantity. Regardless of being 300 pages lengthy, it’s troublesome to not end the quantity in a single sitting because the motion continues to develop and the story is gripping. One of many coolest additions to this package deal is a few red-rust-tinted coloring that’s added about three-fifths of the way in which by. It helps make some scenes with Yuria, Kenshiro’s love curiosity, rather more impactful and is a pleasant contact.

The uncommon utilization of shade provides a formidable look to some necessary moments.

The quantity ends with some nice commentary from Nobuhiko Horie of Coamix, who particulars the Chinese language constellation delusion that impressed the phrase “Hokuto” within the manga’s Japanese title. It’s nice further data to incorporate and offers a pleasant glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of how the manga was made. I’m a sucker for something that delves into the artistic course of, and it provides to the deluxe presentation that’s supplied right here. With an opulent package deal, some further coloring, and 300 pages of iconic motion, Fist of the North Star Vol. 1 is effectively definitely worth the $19.99 buy worth for followers of Buronson and Tetsuo Hara’s traditional and an excellent entry level for these trying to take a look at among the best martial arts mangas ever made.

Rating: 8.5/10

As ComingSoon’s evaluate coverage explains, a rating of 8 equates to “Nice.” Whereas there are a number of minor points, this rating implies that the artwork succeeds at its aim and leaves a memorable influence.

Disclosure: The writer supplied a duplicate of the manga for our Fist of the North Star Vol. 1 – VIZ Signature Version manga evaluate.