Cover to Cover: Review Ultraman Vol. 1

Welcome to a new blog called Cover to Cover where we will be talking about everything related to printed media like books and comics. This entry is a review of Viz Media’s new manga ULTRAMAN. ULTRAMAN is part of the Viz Signature publication and is written Eiichi Shimizu and drawn by Tomohiro Shimoguchi. The manga serves a sequel to the 1966 Ultraman show, ignoring the other shows, and follows  Shinjiro Hayata, son of Shin Hayata, as he take up the mantle of Ultraman.

This volume of the manga sets the ground work for the series and tells the origin for the new Ultraman. The story starts with Hayata and his son Shinjiro at a museum dedicated to the Science Patrol and Ultraman. We learn that Hayata, the original host for Ultraman, has no memory of the time Ultraman was on earth. We also learn that both Hayata and Shinjiro have inherited Ultraman’s powers. The story goes on that there is a mystery threat that may or may not be Ultraman attacking. The story then flash forwards twelve years and Shinjiro is exploring his powers until he is attacked by the mysterious Alien that was confused for Ultraman. Hayata steps in to protect his son and his son learns his father is Ultraman. Shinjiro then steps and fights the monster.  I won’t go any further with the story but is worth the read. The art in the book is amazing and stylized. The art fits the with the story and the universe created by the show. The extras in this book include nine gorgeous colored pages and detailed character sketches of the new Ultraman. Also included is a small two page humorous story about the creators getting to see the studio and meet Ultraman. The Book is good for both new and old fans of Ultraman. It includes little nods for old fans but doesn’t require you to have knowledge of the show.  If you are a tokusatu fan then you will enjoy this manga and I fully recommended it for anyone. You can purchase the book here.