Chisuji

(Antarctic, 2005)
™ and ©2005 Erik Blackwolf

During the war in Iraq, there was an archaeological dig that was the target for a devastating air strike. The significance of the site was yet unknown, but after the raid, a “change” in the world began to spread through people of every nation. At least five million died, while others developed paranormal abilities. A year later, Virginia-born Rodney Davidson finds himself in the midst of strange happenings in a strange land. While on a trip to Tokyo, a graduation gift from his parents, Rodney encounters a mysterious occult investigator, Brawyn Flamelocke. Is his chance meeting with Brawyn coincidence or could he have developed supernatural powers as well?

— Jillian Burcar

From the Comics Buyer’s Guide:

The Tokyo policeman Torao hunts “paranormals” including the vacationing American high school student Rodney Davidson. Driven by self–defense, Rod manifests a humanlike entity who possesses the officer’s mind to discover why he’s consumed with revenge.

In 2003, after an attack initiated the global cataclysm and human mutation known as “The Change,” Torao’s life is thrown into chaos when a U.S. paranormal kills his wife and maims his daughter. But assassinating this criminal doesn’t slake the cop’s thirst for vengeance, as he vows to eliminate the origin of these deviants’ powers.

Adding current affairs into American manga fan fiction, Chisuji blends X-Men influences into the anime archetype of apocalypse. However, this flashback stalls the momentum generated by the prior issue’s heroine Brawyn Flamelocke. Blackwolf and company have created a detailed backstory, but the links are not clearly demonstrated in the panels themselves, which suffer from overly dark computer coloring and fragmented framing. Bloodletting, melodramatic exclamations, and speedlines abound, but more polished storytelling takes more practice.

— Oliver Chin

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