Lupin III, Volume 1: World's Most Wanted

My first introduction to Lupin III was way back in 1983 in a video game called Cliff Hanger. Stern Electronics had sliced up two Lupin movies (The Castle of Cagliostro and Mystery of Mamo) to create a videodisc game ala Dragon's Lair. In the game Lupin was the titular Cliff Hanger. Several years later I was reading a book on Manga and came across a strange character named Lupin III by Monkey Punch. I remember thinking how bizarre he looked with an eerie, maniacal grin plastered to his face. Still, I didn't recognize him as Cliff Hanger and it wasn't until years later when Castle of Cagliostro was released in the U.S. that all the pieces fell into place. Volume 1 reprints the very first stories featuring to Arsene Lupin III published in 1967. The art is drawn to emulate the style of MAD Magazine contributor Sergio Aragones and it's a pretty good homage. My only complaint is that the drawings are so organic and loose that it's often difficult to figure out what is going on. Another problem is that it's hard to distinguish one character from another. Perhaps the biggest difficulty was discerning Lupin and Inspector Zenigata who appear as near twins in this book. Any fan of the Anime will recognize Fujiko for her freakish proportions but this was the way Monkey Punch drew all his women. When it comes to being a misogynist Monkey Punch makes Ian Fleming look like Dr. Seuss. All the women are absurdly top heavy, they all get their clothes ripped off and generally they are forced to submit to sex. Lupin is not intended for people with delicate sensibilities. The only core character who doesn't appear in the first volume is Goemon although there is a near carbon copy named Koroshi who dies rather ignominiously. Jigen (spelled Gigen here) just sort of appears without explanation as a henchman for Lupin in one story but disappears for the rest of the book. Fans of Lupin may also be interested to know that the Gigen story features a character Paikaru who returns as the villain in the latest Lupin OVA `Return of the Magician' (c. 2002). Fujiko is in at least one story but again it's hard to tell Fujiko from the rest of the women because they all look the same. Zenigata is the only other character with a major presence in the book. Unlike the Anime Lupin, the Manga is definitely geared for an older audience. Lupin is quick to kill and often takes woman by force. He still has that otherworldly almost inhuman way about him and the same whimsical attitude. Just as Bond fans owe it to them selves to read Ian Flemings book, Lupin fans ought to check out the original Monkey Punch stories.

Lupin the Third is Japan's answer to James Bond. The only thing he likes more than a big payday [...]. Whereas Bond was a charismatic secret agent, Lupin is a charismatic non-so-secret gentleman thief. He is the world's greatest thief, seemingly able to escape from any predicament. His adventures are filled with comical antics and hilarious miscues. He chases after the women as much as the treasure and the former usually leads to a lot more trouble the latter. Accompanying Lupin on his adventures are two loyal and faithful companions and one not so loyal companion. His close, personal friends Goeman, a samurai swordsman, and Jigen, a professional gunslinger, are usually responsible for pulling Lupin's butt out the crazy predicaments he gets himself into. His not-so-loyal companion and oft rival is the beautiful and devious Fujiko. She is the main object of Lupin's lust and responsible for a good number of the predicaments he gets into. Oddly enough, no matter how much she cheats him, he seems to love her that much more. Rounding out the cast is the intrepid Inspector Zenigata. He is always on Lupin's tail, well actually, it's more like he's always a step behind. It is Zenigata's mission to one day capture the elusive Lupin and claim the respect he so rightly deserves. This series is great, especially if you like James Bond type stories. The wit and humor are perfect for the style of story. The art effectively portrays the action as well as the body language and moods of the characters. Note: Readers need to keep in mind that, while not explicit, this is not for children. Monkey Punch rates it for teenagers age 16+ and carries the "Parental Advisory" label.

Lupin the third is all about the greatest thief in all of Japan. As a master of disguise he can get away for the most troublesome positions in a matter of minutes. He is a man who staves for riches, women, and the hardest of chanllenges. Although the pictures are sometimes small and hard to read or make out, this is not a problem because it is very easy to adapt to. Note even though the rating of 16 this book is definitely not for children. This is a great book that many people will enjoy that are in age and that is mature enough to handle what is shown in the book.

My favorite aspect of these books is the style of the drawings. Unlike many comics with the same outlined character drawn over and over, it's very clear here that each cell is unique, mostly due to the scribble-like nature of the art, which impressively captures the animated expressions of the characters.Speaking of animated, it's important to note that the manga(book) version is much more graphic than the tv show that was briefly on Cartoon Network or most of the movies. As one of the other reviewers note, the artist, Monkey Punch, is strongly influenced by Mad Magazine and James Bond. The result is finding humor in murder and rape. That may be kind of hard for some to swallow, but as for me, i fell in love with the more innocent characters of the anime and love the drawings, so I found it worthwhile to ignore my femenist urgings.It's also neat that this has the "100% original" stamp, and is printed from right to left like the original Japanese manga. It only takes a little while to get used to turning the pages backwards and it's worth it for the authenticity.

About 100 years ago, Maurice Leblanc wrote some novels about a thief named Arsène Lupin (pronounced LOO-pahn). This thief was a true gentleman, even thoughtfully leaving a note stating that he was about to steal everything in the house before he actually did so, and despite this he was always successful. He generally targeted wealthy people who he believed did not deserve their riches. But instead of giving to the poor, he just kept the spoils. Cut to 1967. Arsène Lupin the Third is the grandson of the notorious thief. This new Lupin follows the tradition of always sending a letter before stealing, but this gentlemanly quality is only superficial: it won't take long to notice that Lupin III brings new meaning to the word "lechery". Hmm...the artwork also looks very much like MAD Magazine...we must be in parody territory! To fully appreciate the stories you have to remember the context of them. To say MAD Magazine was a heavy inspiration for Monkey Punch is to say Mount Everest is a little big. Fortunately, the really bad jokes and lack of continuity between panels that are characteristic of MAD Magazine (in its current form; I don't know about back in the 1960s) are nowhere to be found here, but all of the more positive aspects of MAD are present. It's not meant to be taken seriously, so don't get offended too easily. Many chapters play out like elaborate Spy vs. Spy strips with dialogue, with Lupin as one spy and any of a number of people as the other, including Inspector Zenigata of Interpol. My particular favorite chapter is chapter 2, where Lupin tries, successfully of course, to escape from prison. The expressions on Lupin's face as Zenigata continually humiliates him are priceless...then Lupin makes his escape and it's Zenigata who has to be humiliated! I won't tell you just how Lupin gets out of prison, but the scheme is ingenious and the results are a riot, to boot! The translation is nearly flawless, except they don't provide translations of sound effects often enough (luckily I can read hiragana and katakana so I have an idea of what they say, but a lot of readers probably can't), and in Volume I of the series they transliterate the names "Fujiko" and "Jigen" as "Fugiko" and (ugh) "Gigen". While that's not a crime, the names look strange that way and just make it more likely they'll be pronounced incorrectly. But these are very minor issues; the translation is very well done. Overall, a very funny graphic novel for relatively mature audiences, at least if they're mature in an immature way. ;)