VIZ comics summaries
VOL 1-6
After destroying more tanks, Shin returns
to Area 88. He's met by the commander, Saki Vashutal, a young man with long, dark hair and
a cross-shaped scar on his forehead. After debriefing, Shin goes to buy ammunition from McCoy, an old man who supplies all the pilots on the base with
just about anything they need (for a fee, of course). A new
pilot named Mick Simon meets Shin. Mick is eager to start making money as a fellow mercenary pilot at Area 88.
Shin brushes him off and returns to his room. Realizing that he still has over two years left before he can return home, Shin gets angsty.
At the meeting later that night, Saki announces a mission to destroy a ground to air missile base. Shin
decides that he won't go, and Saki fines him $5,000 for disobeying orders.
Bowman, another pilot, wants to pass on the mission too, but he doesn't have enough money. Jeff, yet another pilot, won't lend him the money, but offers
to cover him during the mission. Mick, following Shin's lead, also decides to stay behind. He figures that Shin must know what he's doing.
No sooner have the
rest of the pilots left than enemy fighters approach the base. Shin definitely did know what he was doing! Shin and Mick defend the base and make a lot of
money in the process. When the rest of the pilots and Saki return, Bowman gloats about how much money he made. But when Shin inquires about Jeff, Bowman casually
says that Jeff got hit by a missile. Saki gets pissed, but Shin reasons that they're all really just interested in the money anyway. Saki askes Shin what he's
fighting for, and Shin says
The artwork in this first chapter is much rougher than it is later in the series, even in the second chapter. Especially Mick, who looks like he loses 30 pounds
and 5 years between the first and second chapters. But all the character designs are better defined over the course of the next couple of chapters. The line work also gets lighter
in the next chapter, and the drawings loosen up as Shintani becomes more comfortable with the characters. Some of my favorite artwork in this series is his humorous and simplistic-looking
stuff, and none of that really shows up in the first chapter. The best is yet to come!
Story and Art/KAORU SHINTANI
Later, McCoy tries to sell Shin some cheap sidewinders, but after Boris warnes Shin that they might not explode, he decides to pass. McCoy is pissed.
For their next mission, they go out to attack a supply base protected by ground to air missiles. The planes go in low and fast, but they're caught off-guard by a device called the "fang", a metal barrier.
Only Shin and Boris make it through the narrow holes in the barrier because they both fly F8E Crusaders which are capable of flying with their wings folded. They destroy the base. Suddenly, an enemy jet falls out of the sky.
It was shot down by Mick, who stayed to protect them from above. Shin suggests splitting the reward money between the three of them, but Boris says it will only be split in half. Angered by this apparent ungratefullness
by Boris, Shin tells Boris to keep it all. But Boris laughes. Shin didn't understand - he wanted Mick and Shin to split the money. Boris tells them that he was hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he isn't going to make it back.
Boris tells them about the gain and loss of friends in wartime, and that the reason that he sleeps with the lights on is so that he doesn't have to see the faces and hear the voices of his dead friends. Before he dies, he asks Shin to turn off the light in his room.
Back at the base, Shin and Mick are met by Saki, who congratulates them on their success. Mick gripes about the defective sidewinders he bought from McCoy. And Shin goes into Boris's room and turns off the light, saying
Story and Art/KAORU SHINTANI
Flashback: France, 1978
Shin and his best friend, Satoru Kanzaki, are top student pilots getting ready to return to Japan and become pilots for Yamato Airlines. Kanzaki is jealous of Shin, who's girlfriend is Ryoko,
the daughter of the president of Yamato Airlines. Kanzaki has goals - he wants to run his own airline someday. And Kanzaki won't let anything stand between him and his goals.
Kanzaki convinces Shin to go out for a night on the town before they return to Japan. The two of them get totally plastered, and Shin passes out in a bar. Kanzaki wakes him up, telling him to sign a piece of paper
that is supposedly a permit to stay out all night. He leaves Shin behind, bidding him farewell.
The next morning, two Middle Eastern gentlemen wake Shin up in the bar and tell him that he has just joined the mercenary air force of the kingdom of Asran. The terms of his contract are that he has to serve three
years as a mercenary pilot, and they threaten to shoot him as a deserter if he tries to escape. Shine realizes that Kanzaki tricked him into signing the contract.
Back in the present, Shin struggles to rise near the burning remains of his Crusader. He is determined to live, to get revenge on Kanzaki. He struggles his way through the desert in the blistering heat, but after throwing away his helmet and running
out of water, he begins to think that he is going to die after all. Still, he struggles to survive but finally collapses in the sand. S.G.A. As one last gesture, an attempt to die,
he reaches his hand out and surprisingly touches asphalt. He looks up and sees a jet about to fly right over his head. It's the runway of Area 88.
Story and Art/KAORU SHINTANI
Strangely, a locust flies into Mick's face. They wonder why there is a locust in the middle of the desert. Suddenly there's a bright light, and a huge mushroom cloud appears on the horizon! Anti-government forces have used
a nuclear missile to destroy Area 81! Fearing an attack against Area 88, all the pilots rush to take off, hoping that they'll be able to shoot down an incoming missile before it hits the base. Well, all except Shin that is, since he still doesn't have a plane
after the destruction of his Crusader in the last chapter.
As the first plane tries to take off, a huge swarm of locusts appears out of nowhere, clogging the jet's air intake and causing it to crash. It seems like all hope is lost! The locusts prevent the jets from
leaving and the threat of nuclear annihlation seems more and more real.
Morris makes a decision.
Because his plane doesn't have a large air-intake like a jet, he's able to take off despite the locusts. Realizing that everyone's life is in danger, Morris
releases gasoline on the runway, and sets it ablaze, killing the locusts and clearing the runway so the jets can take off. However, Morris's luck finally runs out, as the locusts cause his plane to crash.
Saki tells Shin to take his plane, and Shin shoots down the nuclear missile before it reaches the base. The moral of the story?
Story and Art/KAORU SHINTANI
Mission 1: The Blue Skies of Betrayal
A tank rumbles across the desert. Suddenly, a jet appears and single-handedly destroys the
nearly helpless target. The pilot's name is Shin Kazama.
(S.G.A. - for future summaries)
My Comments
The first chapter of this wonderful series introduces several major characters (Shin, Saki, McCoy, and Mick) and sets the mood
for the rest of the series. Angst and tragedy are combined with brief moments of humor. The death of Jeff is intended to show us
how cheaply human life is valued by many of the mercenaries, who are hardened by the death and violence that they witness every day.
But it's obvious, even from this beginning, that there's more to Shin than meets the eye.
Original Japanese version
Editor-in-chief/YONOSUKE KONISHI (Shogakukan, Inc.)
Executive Editor/KAZUKI TANAKA (Shogakukan, Inc.)
English version
Translation/JAMES D. HUDNALL & SATORU FUJII
Touch Up Art & Lettering/WAYNE TRUMAN
Cover Design/SHINJI HORIBUCHI
Co-Publishers/MASAHIRO OGA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
DEAN MULLANEY (Eclipse Comics)
Executive Editors/SEIJI HORIBUCHI (Viz Communications, Inc.)
CATHERINE YRONWODE (Eclipse Comics)
Editor/FRED BURKE (Eclipse Comics)
Editorial Assistant/ABRA L. NUMATA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
Mission 2: The Man Named Boris
Shin and Mick observe a single pilot named Boris, who is the only man to return from the 4th attack squadron. It's rumored that he sleeps with the lights on at night in
order to keep away the darkness.
My Comments
I love this chapter. It's a very sad, poignant story, wonderfull executed. Even though we know very little about Boris, his death is truly a tragedy. It also stands as a nice counterpoint to the death of
Jeff in the first chapter. While Jeff's death is tragic largely because of how callously Bowman remembers his sacrifice, Boris's death seems even more tragic because he was a man who understood the value of
friendship and human life. It's a beautiful and moving piece of artwork. Speaking of the artwork, it improved considerably from the first chapter. Mick actually looks much more like the Mick we all come to know and love.
Original Japanese version
Editor-in-chief/YONOSUKE KONISHI (Shogakukan, Inc.)
Executive Editor/KAZUKI TANAKA (Shogakukan, Inc.)
English version
Translation/JAMES D. HUDNALL & SATORU FUJII
Touch Up Art & Lettering/WAYNE TRUMAN
Cover Design/SHINJI HORIBUCHI
Co-Publishers/MASAHIRO OGA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
DEAN MULLANEY (Eclipse Comics)
Executive Editors/SEIJI HORIBUCHI (Viz Communications, Inc.)
CATHERINE YRONWODE (Eclipse Comics)
Editor/FRED BURKE (Eclipse Comics)
Editorial Assistant/ABRA L. NUMATA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
Mission 3: The Boundless Desert
Shin is engaged in combat with enemy fighters. However, his luck runs out as one of the enemy fighters shoots his Crusader out of the sky.
My Comments
We finally get to find out why Shin is at Area 88. Poor guy. ;_; In this chapter we're introduced to Kanzaki, the bastard who was responsible for ruining Shin's life. There are a couple of interesting things in this chapter. Yamato Airlines (YAL) is obviously
a thinly disguised Japan Airlines (JAL). When Shin and Kanzaki get drunk, they start hallucinating. Shintani uses that as a chance to draw all sorts of cameo appearences of other manga, including the Space Cruiser Yamato!
And, in this chapter, Shin shows us that the power of righteous vengeance is stronger than heat and thirst. What a guy. ^_-
There's some really cute artwork in this chapter, especially the scenes when Shin is drunk. I love this stuff!
Original Japanese version
Editor-in-chief/YONOSUKE KONISHI (Shogakukan, Inc.)
Executive Editor/KAZUKI TANAKA (Shogakukan, Inc.)
English version
Translation/JAMES D. HUDNALL & SATORU FUJII
Touch Up Art & Lettering/WAYNE TRUMAN
Cover Design/SHINJI HORIBUCHI
Co-Publishers/MASAHIRO OGA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
DEAN MULLANEY (Eclipse Comics)
Executive Editors/SEIJI HORIBUCHI (Viz Communications, Inc.)
CATHERINE YRONWODE (Eclipse Comics)
Editor/FRED BURKE (Eclipse Comics)
Editorial Assistant/ABRA L. NUMATA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
Mission 4: The Old Soldier's Fire
Shin is trying out Saki's new plane: an F15 Eagle. He's joined by Mick and Saki. Saki isn't thrilled about his new plane though, and another pilot named Morris suggests that maybe Saki prefers to fly a plane that he's used to. Morris flies a T-6 Texan, a prop plane.
It's hopelessly outdated compared to a jet, but Morris is good at taking out tanks on the ground. Still, Saki tells him that he's going to get shot down eventually if he doesn't start flying a jet. But Morris just doesn't
feel like he can learn to fly one.
My Comments
Personally, I like "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This isn't a particularly important chapter, except that it does tell us that the enemy has nuclear capacity, something that will become important in the future. Poor Morris. At this
point, you start to wonder if any pilot other than Shin, Mick, and Saki are going to survive for more than one issue.
Original Japanese version
Editor-in-chief/YONOSUKE KONISHI (Shogakukan, Inc.)
Executive Editor/KAZUKI TANAKA (Shogakukan, Inc.)
English version
Translation/JAMES D. HUDNALL & SATORU FUJII
Touch Up Art & Lettering/WAYNE TRUMAN
Cover Design/SHINJI HORIBUCHI
Co-Publishers/MASAHIRO OGA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
DEAN MULLANEY (Eclipse Comics)
Executive Editors/SEIJI HORIBUCHI (Viz Communications, Inc.)
CATHERINE YRONWODE (Eclipse Comics)
Editor/FRED BURKE (Eclipse Comics)
Editorial Assistant/ABRA L. NUMATA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
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