ULTRAMAN: Volume 6 manga review

Manga
ULTRAMAN: Volume 6 manga review
By Leroy Douresseaux
November 14, 2016 - 20:42

Viz Media
Writer(s): Eiichi Shimizu, Joe Yamazaki, Stan!
Penciller(s): Tomohiro Shimoguchi
Letterer(s): Evan Waldinger
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8647-2
$12.99 U.S., $14.99 CAN, £8.99 UK, 196pp, B&W, paperback
Rating: T (Teen)

Ultraman Volume 6 cover image

Rated “T” for “Teen”

He is Ultraman. The character originally appeared in Japanese sci-fi/fantasy films and television, beginning in the 1960s. The character was an alien entity that merged with a human host, creating a superhero that fought aliens trying to invade Earth. Ultraman (stylized as ULTRAMAN) the manga, written and drawn by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi, is a sequel to the television series, “Ultraman” (1966).

The new Ultraman is 17-year-old Shinjiro Hayata. He is the son of Shin Hayata, the man who first merged with Ultraman 20 years earlier. A new threat is growing, and that kind of danger requires a new kind of Ultraman.

Ultraman, Vol. 6 (Chapter 35 to 41) opens with a mystery. Who is wearing an unsanctioned and unidentified Ultraman suit? It is none other than Seiji Hokuto, Shinjiro's classmate who also knows that Shin is Ultraman. Meanwhile, the machinations of shadowy enemies, both of “Earthian” and alien origins, continues to grow.

[This volume includes the bonus chapter, “Truth.”]

THE LOWDOWN: The Ultraman manga is one of my favorite manga. This breezy read reminds me of Iron Man, but is strong in the tradition of Japanese science fiction and anime storytelling. That is why I think that it will appeal to a broad range of readers

Ultraman Volume 6 follows the pivotal fifth volume by emphasizing its conspiratorial subplots. That is good for longtime readers, but I think the big fun comes in the conflict between the various parties that are each in control of an Ultraman suit. Don't think of this as a media tie-in. Think of Ultraman as the shonen sci-fi manga fun that it is.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Ultraman and readers looking for superheroes from another land will want to try the VIZ Signature title, Ultraman.

A

Rating: A/10