[.ca] Eat-Man, Volume 2: Second Course (ISBN 1569313385)

Eat-Man satisfies the senses:
Few comics can be called "smart" or "deep". More and more, many comics depend on flashy artwork and/or storylines. Eat-Man depends on neither to achieve it's goal of enticing the reader to crave more. Like the main character, Bolt Crank, the artwork in Eat-Man is low-key compared to other titles such as Neon Genesis. The storyline in each chapter is equally subtle and a refreshing escape from the mecha ridden, samurai filled, battle-this, battle-that landscape of today's manga cliches. Each chapter has it's own little twist, it's own little play on reality, and, ultimately, each chapter is unique and distinctive. The chapters are discontinous, each telling a new tale of the famed "explorer" Bolt Crank and his travels. You walk away from each chapter with a sense of "wow!". I strongly recommend this series as a whole. It is a refreshing change of pace from today's action- packed manga. I've seen some of the later books in this series and I can't wait for future translations to make it to the U.S.

Eat-Man is tongue in cheek (and savory, to bite):
This second volume of the Eat-Man series isn't quite as good as the first, but our heavy-metal hero Bolt Crank still fights for the oppressed, the weak, the exploited, and the occasional lovely maiden. The art and story line are often pitched at an adolescent male audience (as is most action-oriented manga), yet it's always saved by the author's sense of humor and irony, and the silent charm of Bolt. My only real kvetch is the cover, which is done by an American comic artist and reflects all the faults of American comic books: ultra-serious, steel-jawed, literal and oh-so-lacking in self-knowingness. (Seen the Cartoon Network promo in which the Super Friends turn a trip to a movie snack bar into a super crisis?)