Superhuman powers can’t fix all the problems inherent with this story.
Creative Staff
Story: James Patterson & Ned Rust
Art/Adaptation: SeungHui Kye
What They Say
In the sleepy town of Holliswood, a twisted alien TV producer is using his powers to throw the town into chaos — and documenting every minute of it. Fresh from his victory over Number 6, Daniel X is the only one who can stop this made-for-TV tyrant, but the devilish director has other plans. He wants to film the most spectacular finale the world has ever seen, starring Daniel himself! Can the Alien Hunter take down this deranged outlaw, or will he find himself on the cutting room floor?!
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The first volume of the manga/manhwa adaptation of James Patterson’s Daniel X series was a mishmash of hastily assembled ideas and groan inducing writing. The good news is that this volume attempts to be far less epic in scope and more focused, but it can’t shake that going-through-the-motions feeling.
Volume two doesn’t waste time explaining what was already covered in the first volume. It picks up with Daniel attempting to track down another alien menace on the most wanted list. It’s another earth life-form inspired alien species, the sort you’d find walking around in the Star Wars universe. This time it’s a cross between a frog and a catfish, with an army of robotic looking pawns. The baddy, just called #5 for most of the book, has sets it’s sights on a small town in the middle of nowhere, cutting them off from the rest of civilization and brainwashing them into obeying his commands.
Much like how they don’t bother to give him a name, the enemy doesn’t have much by way of motivation except for greed. Much like in the first book, #5 is always seven steps ahead of Daniel for the majority of the story. His downfall ends up being a pretty cheap end, and the aftermath of the attack on the city is glossed over as Daniel heads off in pursuit of #1 on his list, proving this to be just another job without any real bearing on the ongoing revenge plot this series hinges on.
The pop culture references have been slightly toned down for this volume, but it’s still rife with dialog where characters improvise references rather than using cliché phrases. If this is the writers answer to creative dialog, I would have preferred the stock “snowball’s chance in hell” to “snowballs chance in Atlanta.” There are also a few odd references to people or things that no teenager is going to readily identify with. (At one point Daniel compares #5 to Aaron Spelling combined with Attila the Hun. Do any thirteen year olds know who Aaron Spelling is? He’s been dead for five years.)
This volume does take a moment to point out that Daniel’s seemingly godlike powers are limited to his understanding of how things work. It still doesn’t explain how he can easily recreate autonomous imaginary friends and duplicates of his family but can’t shut down the electrical grid of one small town. Logic doesn’t factor in to this story, so it’s best not to think about it if you want to derive any enjoyment of out this series. (After volume one, any reader that has made it this far has surely already turned off that part of their brain.) Daniel once again eschews an actual human being for his tangible hallucinations, without stopping to address the fact the lead is clearly insane, and that doesn’t get any less strange as this series progresses.
The greatest tragedy is that there is still a good artist tied up in this monotonous project. Kye’s artwork continues to do a better than average job illustrating the book, with expressive characters and artwork which is reminiscent of Kumiko Suekane’s Afterschool Charisma.
In Summary:
Daniel X still suffers from having aliens that aren’t that alien and a lead who’s powers are so overblown it breaks the suspension of disbelief. The non-stop action does a better job hiding that focus-tested feeling this time around. The art is still solid and the pacing isn’t terrible, but it can barely hold up the monster-of-the-week storyline. Only recommended for the young fans of the first book, everyone else is better off reading Yen’s other adapted works.
Content Grade: C
Art Grade: B +
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: C –
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Released Date: July 26th, 2011
MSRP: $12.99
I read the original book for this series. I found it “meh”, but I had several students who loved it. I think what I didn’t like (the pacing was jumpy, with very short chapters and limited description) was what made the kids find it exciting.