Gangsta., Vol. 1 (Volume 1)

Description

Got a problem? The Handymen can fix it —for a price.In the city of Ergastulum, a shady ville filled with made men and petty thieves, whores on the make and cops on the take, there are some deeds too dirty for even its jaded inhabitants to touch. Enter the “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who take care of the jobs no one else will handle. Until the day when a cop they know on the force requests their help in taking down a new gang muscling in on the territory of a top Mafia family. It seems like business (and mayhem) as usual, but the Handymen are about to find that this job is a lot more than they bargained for. Review: Awesome - Gangsta is one of my most favourite series, after reading this volume one can see the potential of this series..the art is cool and the story is pretty decent too. One of the best thing of this Manga is it's characters. If you are looking for a modern samurai champloo type of thing then this series is for you. Review: Flawed and captivating, like the characters - (4.5/5 rounded up, review hopefully spoiler free) As first installments of manga go, this one is pretty close to perfection. Yes, there are flaws: a few frames where the art seems a bit half-assed, a couple of moments in the "action" scenes where it's unclear what's going on, some side characters that look perhaps a bit too similar, and a critical overdose of improbable cleavage (presumably for the thirsty fanboys?). However, these minor flaws are inconsequential. This volume will utterly suck you into the made up universe of Ergastulum and the characters that inhabit it and will leave you eager for more. It establishes the setup and key parameters of the story, while hinting at more to be discovered and posing some question marks (about the characters and their past, the power structures underlying their city, surface appearances that may be deceiving...). The art has its own unique style and some of the best storytelling/character building moments are conveyed via sequences of frames that have no dialogue or words in them. Quite brilliantly done, especially the flashbacks. There is still some need for verbal exposition, handled via the questions asked by one of the three main characters--Alex, a newcomer to Ergastulum--and her interactions with the others. Every edge in the triangle created by her and the two other main characters, "Handymen" Worick and Nicolas, is intriguing and full of future potential. Finally, one of the most unique aspects of this manga is introducing a deaf character as one of the leads and the way the art conveys and uses sign language. Sign me up for more!