One-Punch Man: Volume 8 manga review

Manga
One-Punch Man: Volume 8 manga review
By Leroy Douresseaux
October 30, 2016 - 23:30

Viz Media
Writer(s): ONE, Yusuke Murata, John Werry
Penciller(s): Yusuke Murata
Letterer(s): James Gaubatz
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8656-4
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K., 200pp B&W, paperback
Rating: T (Teen)

One-Punch Man Vol. 8 cover image

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Saitama begins his training to become a superhero at the age of 22-years-old. He becomes a superhero when he is 25, but he really does not look like one, with his lifeless facial expression, bald head, and unimpressive physique. But he beats the snot out of supervillains with one punch, and he even has his own disciple,the young cyborg, Genos (who really needs no training).

One-Punch Man, Vol. 8 (entitled That Man; Chapters 38 to 40) introduces the Class-S hero known as “King,” Earth's strongest man. When the “Organization” sends the “machine god” assassin, “G4,” to kill him, however, will King be able to prove he is what his reputation says he is? Plus, the approaching prophecy of doom is so troubling that the “Hero Association” turns to a shocking source for help.

[This volume includes two bonus stories, “Lost Cat” and “Lobster.”]

THE LOWDOWN: Regular readers of my reviews know that I love the One-Punch Man manga. I thought it would fall apart, but the mixture of superhero action-fantasy, droll humor, and dry wit have kept it strong and made it a winning read.

One-Punch Man Volume 8 starts with what seems like an odd tale, but turns out to be something intriguing going forward in this narrative. Still, a new reader could enjoy this opening chapter without being familiar with the series, but it is not as if this manga is hard to read. Writer ONE and artist Yusuke Murata are producing a manga that is quite accessible to superhero comics readers – probably the most accessible. I know I can't wait for the next volume.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of shonen battle manga and superhero comic books will love One-Punch Man.

A+