Jabari Booker is a child prodigy, gifted at the piano (and pretty much everything else) has scored a free ride to New Edyn Academy, the elite high school run by the Senada Corporation. Excited but nervous about his new school Jabari starts his first day ready to prove himself. Within hours of starting though Jabari learns that NEA and the Senada Corp. are hiding a dark secret one that takes Jabari from being a talented student to the only thing standing between humanity and certain death.
When I say this was the most stereotypical manga plot line I've ever read, I mean it. It was absolutely amazing!
Tropes exist for a reason and CoryxKenshin plays these up to the fullest while pulling clear inspiration from a variety of anime and yet still making this story wholly unique. Jabari is that over the top, confidence is great but deadly type of character. He's loud, he's arrogant and he's got the skills to back it up. He takes everything in stride while still having normal rational reactions to discovering that the world is filled with giant monsters that only he and a handful are capable of destroying. You've got a bit of Blue Exorcist going on here too, each of these kids was born on a night when humanity essentially collapses. And of course, you've got the whole next generation is stuck fixing the previous generation's mistakes. Not to mention the giant corporation that's probably evil. Hell, it can't not be evil. Like I said it's brimming with tropes.
However, CoryxKenshin has done something I don't think I have ever seen done; this isn't a manga or an American-style superhero comic book. It's something gloriously in between. While you can see many Japanese influences here you can also see the very best of Marvel and DC here as well. As a horror gamer, you can see that influence too in the incredibly graphic, gloriously bloody depictions of the Leakers. He has genuinely taken the sum of all these things and created some truly special here.
Oh you can bet I'll be reading this series. I'm truly looking forward to seeing how this world plays out!
As always thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for the eArc!
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