Bogged down by page constraints, this version of All You Need Is Kill managed to entertain, but not much more.
Creative Staff:
Based on the novel by: Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Adapted by: Nick Mamatas
Art by: Lee Ferguson
Colors by: Jafar Buana
Letters/Touch-Up by Zack Turner
What They Say:
When the alien Mimics invade, soldier Keiji Kiriya is killed, easily, on the battlefield. But he wakes up the previous morning as if nothing happened and must fight the battle again…and again…and again. Teamed up with the mysterious female fighter known as the Full Metal Bitch, Keiji must figure out how to stop the cycle—and what role his new and deadly ally plays in the fight to save Earth.
Author Nick Mamatas (Bullettime, Love Is the Law) and artist Lee Ferguson (Miranda Mercury, Green Arrow/Black Canary) give Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s mind-bending alien invasion tale a bold new look in the official comic adaptation of the original novel.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
I was really psyched when I first started reading Ryosuke Takeuchi and Takeshi Obata’s All You Need Is Kill in Viz’s Shonen Jump. I’m a big fan of Obata’s art, having seen a few chapters of Bakuman. and having read Death Note. Tsugumi Ohba’s sometimes questionable writing aside, Obata’s art is legit in my eyes.
When I found out there was a comic adaptation (which seems weird to say since, you know, manga is just Japanese comics…), I was a little excited, a little confused, and I really wanted to read it. I didn’t really know what it was, not knowing much about the western comics landscape, but if it was anywhere near as good as Takeuchi and Obata’s version, I was in.
Now, Shonen Jump just ran all the All You Need Is Kill chapters over the past several weeks and it just ended this past Monday, as I’m writing this (June 2, 2014). I knew Mamatas and Ferguson’s adaptation had to go to that same end, so I was waiting to read it until that time. I’m glad I did, because I didn’t want to be spoiled on any ending for the manga version.
On its own, Mamatas and Ferguson’s adaptation feels very much like it’s lacking something. There’s a mere four chapters compared to the 17 that the manga got. As such, it feels really rushed compared to the Japanese. I whizzed through the volume in about an hour, page to page, panel to panel, word bubble to word bubble. It’s not a hard read. That doesn’t make it bad, though.
The problem I see is in pacing. It’s moving from plot point to plot point too quickly. It isn’t giving us any down time to really digest what’s happening because it only has four chapters. With 17, I got sort of interim chapters that still moved the plot forward (or at least Keiji’s arc) while still maintaining a sense of dread about his time loops. Characters like the scientist friend, the Sergeant, and the all-important Rita Vrataski herself are mere liner notes in the time loop’s story.
And that’s a big problem in this comic. The time loop, not Keiji, really, seems to be front and center. We’re focusing on the bare minimum here because of the time constraints and that really hurts the narrative. I’m wondering why they chose so few chapters when having just one more volume would probably make this so much better.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a fine adaptation of All You Need Is Kill. But that’s also kind of the problem. It’s a fine ADAPTATION. Takeuchi and Obata brought the characters and the story to life in the manga version while Mamatas and Ferguson feels like they’re going through the motions.
It doesn’t help that Ferguson’s art just doesn’t stand up to Obata’s. I can see the dread in the shirt that clings to Keiji’s shirt in the first chapter of Obata’s art, but there’s no such shot in Ferguson’s (mostly due to the fact that they’re given much less time for previous shots). I see the dread in his eye as he dies for the first time and I see both the loneliness and curiosity in Rita Vrataski’s body and eyes as she’s first introduced. I see trepidation in the shots of the army marching to the battle, and knowing full well that they’re going to die. Ferguson’s has no such shot as we’re thrust directly into the battle, most of the army already dead.
The beginning, middle, and ends remained the same, but it feels so different from the manga. I wonder how the film, which has been getting some good hype as first reviews come out, will fare in my eyes.
In Summary:
I was really excited about this comic when it first rolled across my desk—or, rather, was relayed to me through the internet. My expectations were tempered by the manga version’s lessening quality as the chapters went on. Upon realizing it was much shorter, just by feeling it, I was ready for something bad. This isn’t bad. It’s just not all I need. All I need is kill, preferably by Takeuchi and Obata. And possible Doug Liman and Tom Cruise, if that movie isn’t bad.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text Grade: A
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: May 6th, 2014
MSRP: $14.99