An epic re-imagining of Shotaro Ishinomori’s manga classic Cyborg 009, Cyborg 009: Chapter 000 is a specially priced sneak peek at the Archaia original graphic novel coming this summer. When a young man known only by the numerical designation “009” discovers his body has been cybernetically augmented and “improved” against his will, he must break free from the clutches of The Black Ghost, a secret society hell-bent on turning humans into cybernetic weapons of mass destruction for sale to the highest bidder.

I don’t know a whole lot about this series (or manga in general) but after talking to writer F.J. DeSanto at last year’s San Diego Comic Con, it was hard to not walk away excited about this project.

This steal of a book is a tease of what we can expect this summer when the full graphic novel is released. At just $1, the comic is packed with a solid story, an interview and some great pin-up art. It’s the best deal on the stands this week (other than those free comics this weekend).

The story is solid full of excitement, never a dull moment at all. We basically get the action scene before the opening credits of a movie. It’s engaging and fast paced. It sucked me in, I wanted more!

Then there’s the art, which is amazing. There’s an updated look to these classic characters, an East meets West manga style that’s just beautiful to look at. The use of panels, the flow, everything is spot on and had me lingering checking out each page.

The worst part is, we have to wait until July to get the full graphic novel. This is that fun and entertaining, I want to read it now! I might not know much about Cyborg 009, but this has me wanting to check out the classics that I’ve missed.

Even if the story and art weren’t so cool, I’d still recommend the book, it’s just $1, there’s no excuse to not get it. But luckily, we get one of the most entertaining comics of the week, for one of the lowest prices. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

 

Story: F.J. DeSanto and Bradley Cramp Art: Marcus To and Ian Herring
Story: 8.75 Art: 9 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Archaia provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review