Trigun, Vol. 1
American readers may be familiar with the version of Trigun seen in the popular anime series Daffy Duck, directed by Sergio Leone. However, the story first appeared as a manga serial, the first 12 installments of which are gathered here in the right to left format. Readers must absorb several installments before figuring out the basic setup: colonizing starships dropped groups of people on a desert planet. Survival is difficult for their descendants, since their original high-tech machinery has either stopped working or is dangerously erratic. A version of Old West society has evolved, enlivened by the presence of wacky outlaws with huge weapons. One of the most notorious gunslingers is Vash the Stampede, a skinny, spiky-haired geek wearing a long, bullet-shredded duster. Vash manages to avoid killing anyone while he dodges the hail of lead everyone aims at him, but that doesn't stop two cute but clueless insurance-company representatives from tagging along to record the massive damage that occurs wherever Vash goes. Just when readers have decided this all must be an elaborate farce, though, flashbacks occur, suggesting Vash may not be the wild and crazy guy he seems. It's too early to tell how much of a serious side the story might reveal. What is beyond doubt is the artwork's uncommon vigor, which fills each page with exploding, overlapping panels of the rootin'-tootin', Wild West, sci-fi space action. It's energetic to the point of being delirious (maybe even demented) but still entertaining.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.