Joan Gn #1

Joan Book 1 by Yoshikazu yasuhiko, contains beautiful artwork, and great story telling. This comic book is in color and Yoshikazu uses it well. You feel the emotion seep out of every panel. I am completely satisfied and look forward to reading the second.

The "Joan" series, while only thre volumes long, is one of the best manga stories I've read in a long, long, time. It combines all of the elements needed to make any comic book work - and it does them effectively, never overusing dramatic effects or providing a sub-par moment. The story is rich and complicated, telling the story of 17-year-old Emily who was brought up male. She disguises herself as a man named Emil eleven years after Joan of Arc's death and goes off to war to fight for France. The dauphin Louis, son of the king and the same age as Emily, sees his father as a weakling and wants to seize power over the country for himself. The country, fighting against Britain and divided among the side of King Charles and the followers of Louis, is at brutal war. Emily can see the ghost of Joan ("La Pucelle"), who gives her advice and help when it is needed. The plot combines true historical details with religious and political overtones to be one of the most interesting stories and a treat to any fan of historical fiction. One of the biggest highlights of the series has always been its gorgeous artwork. Down to the smallest details, the environments and characters are beautifully inked and painted over with full-color watercolors and very realistic shading and tones. There will be no doubt in anyone's mind that the illustrations are some of the best in the comic field. Yasuhiko is an all-around talented author and artist in every possible way. From the action scenes and vicious battles with the highwaymen to the soft and innocent visions of the late Joan, this series could very well be the best-looking manga in the world. This particular volume has its emotional gems in all of the right places, from the heart and soul put into Emily's journey to the flickering, destructive firelight when she is held captive by the dauphin. There's a new and exciting scene around every corner, and the quality of such excitement never degrades or becomes repetitive. "Joan", book I, is definitely one of the most beautiful and thought-out creations to graze the world of Japanese entertainment. This rare find is phenomenal and well worth the money for anyone who is willing to tolerate the harsh, realistic view that highlights the inner workings of history. Pick it up and I am 100% certain that it will earn a treasured place in your collection. Five stars.

"Joan," a graphic novel in three volumes, is that rare Japanese illustrated work that's in full color. And what gorgeous color it is! Not the sterile, computer-created, digitally applied color one sees in American comic books these days, but beautiful and elegant watercolors applied to the dramatic line renderings of the people and places of 15th century France.The story follows the adventures of Emil of Lorraine, a girl raised as a boy by Captain Baudricourt after the death of her father, the Duke of Lorraine, to keep her safe from the cruel spite of the Duke's wife. Emil is compelled to follow in the footsteps of Joan of Arc eleven years after the latter was burned at the stake following her failed campaign to unite the different provinces of France and drive out the English. Joan did succeed, however, in getting the Dauphin crowned King Charles VII of France. It is Charles whom Emil now seeks out to continue Joan's mission, but she comes up against a formidable rogues' gallery of villainous nobles with agendas of their own, including Charles' own son, the Dauphin Louis. Helping her maintain her faith is the vision of Joan herself who appears to Emil at key moments.In this volume, Emil literally follows the journey that Joan took, traveling to Domremy, where Joan, or "La Pucelle" as she was called by her followers, grew up, and Orleans, where Joan and her troops broke the English siege. On the way, she and her small group of followers have a skirmish with a band of highwaymen, leading to a burst of the kind of swift riding and fighting action which is something of a specialty of the artist, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. Later, in Orleans, Emil has her first fateful--and violent--encounter with the Dauphin Louis. The artwork in this series is breathtaking and makes imaginative use of color to convey effects of light, shadow and darkness. The occasional full-page and half-page panels recall some of the very best book illustrations. One might consider buying another copy just to cut out some of the pages to frame. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko is a manga artist who also happens to have worked in anime as an animation director and character designer. He is best known to anime fans for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM, CRUSHER JOE, and VENUS WARS and to manga fans for "Venus Wars" and "Rebel Sword."