I received this from Viz Comics after one of their people (apparently) combed through the archive and saw just how many reviews I've written. As I'm not one to refuse free stuff, I accepted; it wouldn't be the first time that I've read and reviewed non-gaming material that would appeal to some of the folks here.
For those not in the know, Bastard! is an anime and manga title in the vein of Slayers: a humorous take on Western (specifically, D&D) fantasy as filtered through Japanese pop culture. The elements that make Bastard! memorable are the references to heavy metal, the tongue-in-cheek feel towards swords-and-sorcery fantasy and the unapologetic use of sex and violence for comedic or dramatic effect.
Issue #1 is an introduction to the setting and key characters of the story: Dark Schneider (the anti-hero and titualar character), Tia Noto Soto (female lead and daughter of a high priest) and Lucien Renlan (the comedy relief who makes Jar Jar and Snails look competant). The first part, in a sort of prelude, depicts the events that lead to the rebirth of Dark Schneider from his 15 years of imprisonment. There's some gratutious violence, gratutious (near-)nudity, two heavy metal references and just enough plot development to make it worth while. The artwork, however, is crisp and clear even when there's a tumult of action going on; following the action is as easy as following the plot. The dialogue, as one would expect, is "No shit, there my fighter was, hacking through a thousand orcs when I said..." in its quality.
The second part isn't much different, but it does introduce the first signs of a long-term arc. Several other evil powermongers are at work destroying other kingdoms ruled by Good Guys of note, when Tia's father decided to see their king and consult on what to do about it. Bad things happen, a hydra gets involved, an insert appears about the hydra and its Greek roots (and goes on to say that this is a pyro-hydra) and once more Dark Schneider's released to save the day- but he refuses, flips off the court and tell them to "Fuck off!" Thus ends the issue.
You'd think I'd mark the book down for this. You'd be wrong; as I said above, this is a humorous take. I chuckled and laughed early and often. It's as if it were a MST3K episode on paper, much as the anime series was, and as that was the objective of the title I must say that the objective was met. Tasteful? Nope. Literary? Hah! This is a title that glories in the silliness of bad fantasy and the cheesiness of heavy metal, and that's all it promises. If you liked Slayers, give it a try.
Go to forum!
(Due to spamming, old forum discussions are no linked.)