JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Vol. 1 Review

One of the most talked about manga in years finally gets a deluxe release by Shonen Jump Advanced but is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure still as entertaining and, well, bizarre as it was over 15 years ago when it was first unleashed upon the manga world? As many series that have been influenced by JoJo have come and gone, there's a possibility that new audiences might find this series to be more of the same, even though it came before many of the series they would try to compare it with.

Just a few pages into this manga will quell any fears that this might sit as "more of the same" for readers of a lot of US released manga. The artwork is of a standard virtually unseen in most manga produced today, with characters and background that add a great deal to the story. It takes no time at all to find yourself engrossed in the adventures of JoJo and his crew, completely forgetting anything that might seem to have a similar feel from other series. For those new to the series, the story follows 17 year-old Jotaro Kujo who is possessed by a dark force that he fights to control in order to save his mother's life. Around the world, evil spirits, called "stands", are coming to life and possessing human hosts, giving them incredible powers and these are going to try and stop JoJo and his friends from accomplishing their mission.

The character designs have more of an over-developed Street Fighter or Fist of the North Star look to them than the skinny bodies, big heads and big eyes of most manga characters, with the faces showing some real character. This is extremely evident in the people possessed by the Stands; JoJo himself is huge and it is easy to see why people would try to avoid him or want to be his friend. Not a lot of people really want to become his enemy. The reader's introduction to JoJo in a Japanese jail cell not only sets up the series but also firmly establishes the character. The evil spirit inside of JoJo keeps brining him beer, a boom-box, a copy of Shonen Jump - all to the dismay of the officers in charge. The other prisoners demand to be moved in fear of the spirit while JoJo himself asks to stay put, fearing that the evil spirit will actually use him to kill someone if he is released. This shows JoJo's strength against the spirit and the early force of will that could force the "evil" powers to work for him, instead of against him.

VIZ have certainly done everything possible to make sure that the series is presented as well as possible. The translations is pretty good, with a new 8 page prologue by Hirohiko Araki that helps introduce JoJo's world to readers that might be coming upon this series for the first time. It is also a nice jumping off point for those that have read other translations in the past, a brief history lesson that fills in some of the blanks and explains a little of why JoJo is uniquely able to put up so much resistance to the evil inside of him.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Written & Drawn by: Hirohiko Araki Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Genre: Fantasy / Adventure Price: $7.99 Suggested Age: T + Release Date: November 1, 2005 Learn more about IGN Comics' rating system.

Rating: Must Read

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is easily one of the more enjoyable manga on the market at the moment. Even if you have gone on this adventure before, it is worth another trip.