Van Von Hunter, Volume 1: Volume 1

I Must say this is the best way to make a joke about manga, in a book of manga, the story is like nothing Iv ever read.... BUY IT, so it can become a anime..... please

Another lucky winner of Tokyo Pop's Rising Stars Of Manga contest, the boys from Pseudom Studios took their entry and turned it into this ongoing series. Apparently a followup to their original story(featured in R.S.O.M.-Volume #1), and their webcomic, this new one picks up after the whole original cast suffers from some weirdo amnesia spell. Taking place years after the brave warrior, Van Von Hunter, deafeted the "Flaming Prince" of the underworld land of Dikay, he has reappeared to seek out his sexy sidekick(whose name we never really find out!). Van finds her working as a barmaid and totally not remembering her previous encounters with him. He takes her to his old mansion run by an eccentric butler and psychotic maid. Afterwards, they are approached by a young woman who wants to hire Van for a sacred quest. They head to remote village where Van's old enemy, the "Flaming Prince", is planning on stealing an enchanted artifact called the Ebon Eye which is supposed to give its holder necromatic powers. The Prince himself has allied with a very hungry minotaur called The Beast, and a doublecrossing jester goblin, plus some out of work distgruntled farmers who're rebelling against the current king. Van and his crew eventual clash with the prince and an undead monster he creates with the Ebon Eye. Everything wraps up in a weird comic fantasy-type way, but still leaves room for more chapters to come. This is a pretty well written American manga. It doesn't have the pure zany madcap humor like alot of role-playing game spoof titles like Slayers or Sorcerer Hunters, but it does have great timing and development, almost like a Monty Python sketch. Be sure to thumb through this number.

Ever wondered what would happen if you got amnesia, you used to destroy evil, and the eccentric guy from next door wants you to come join him again... three years later? Well, honestly, probably no one in their right mind has wondered that. But that's what heppened to... well lets just say the sidekick! Now she is helping Van Von Hunter (if that IS his real name) once again destroy the evil forces of yet another eccentric character. Nothing in the world could possibly make up for his stupidity and randomness. However, after attempting to take over the world who knows how many times, he must be stopped again! Oh did we forget to mention there's a cute decaying little jestar? A lunatic maid who cleans with a knife? And a butler with a monicle and eye patch? (As VVH would say, "He's the ULTIMATE butler!")

Mix a little Monty Python with a splash of Van Helsing and do it all in Manga style and you get an uproariously funny new book from TokyoPop. It was some 10,000 years ago...or maybe it was just three, that the Kingdom of Dikay was overrun by the demonic forces of evil until a champion arose to vanquish them and bring peace to the land. Now, the great champion, the hunter of evil, Van Von Hunter is ready to do battle again against the "evil one" and recruits an old comrade, his next door neighbor... "what's her name?" Well, no matter, fighting evil is her birthright even if she can't remember who she is. Evil is afoot as the Dark Prince returns to the Land of Dikay, intent on retrieving an evil artifact and reclaiming his throne...if he can only remember where to find it. He's joined by what looks like Elsie the Cow on steroids and a decayed little jester who promises the Prince he can show him how to unleash darkness on the world. Van and...what is her name...are off on their quest as well because it says to do in the "Manual of Exposition." But before Van can retrieve the artifact he has to face the "trials of the sandwich" and that is one nasty piece of deli fare that he has to eat and has been putrefying since it was forged a thousand years ago. Van cleverly diverts the priests who guard the sandwich and hides it behind his back and the Priests now deem him worthy. Of course they neglected to tell him the artifact had been stolen centuries ago. And so Van and his comrade, ummm, well her, continue their journey onward, on a collision course with the Prince of Dikay and his forces which include a only a small band of peasants but hey...they're disgruntled peasants. Van Von Hunter was one of the funniest, most entertaining books I've read in a long time. Filled with bad jokes, worse puns, and riotous slapstick, not everything always works but there's so much that you can't help but laugh out loud over and over again. It's not easy to do great comedy in a graphic format and this one succeeds on all counts Mike Schwark and Ron Kaulfersch, winners of TokyoPops Rising Stars of Manga, have fashioned a Mel Brooks-style Manga adventure with a great script and outstanding artwork. The note pages on each character in the back of the book are amusing as well. What a fun book this was to read. I'm anxiously awaiting the second volume. Reviewed by Tim Janson

Van Von Hunter is one of the best comics I've ever read! (P.S go to vanvonhunter.com to read the firt Van Von Hunter comic strip.)