Mazinger Paperback – January 1, 1988

This is really a hidden gem when it comes to the Mazin saga, finding out that uncle Go and the Dynamic Pro boys decided to just spread the Mazin saga love to the west is just mind blowingly awesome.The Art work is fantastic, has a very Heavy metal inspired look to it, very detailed. since this book was created for western audiences, the art work and flow reads from left to right, there is no flipping. as per most of Go Nagai's works there is nudity but it's brief and there is almost no lead up to it and some decent levels of violence, so this isn't something you should get your kids unless your comfortable with that.All in all if you love all things giant robot then this is a must have.

This particular color one-shot trade paperback is unique among other U.S. releases of manga as it is the first one made specifically for American readers by the original creator, Go Nagai. Mazinger Z is pretty much the template of all "super robot" Japanese titles from the early 70s, but this Mazinger graphic novel is a gritty remake of the genre, which becomes a whole different tale halfway through. Set in the early 23rd Century, mankind is at war with each other, but this time with giant mechas. One of their ace robot pilots is Major Kabuto that operates the mighty Mazinger(which here looks like the robot that would eventually be used in Mazinkaiser). During a huge battle, a freak wormhole opens up and Kabuto along with Mazinger are sent to another world where giant lizard men called the Zard Empire are attacking the topless blonde Princess Krishna, who is of equal height to them. Kabuto fights off the rampaging reptiles, and Krishna offers to marry this supposed mysterious knight if she helps her kingdom, but Kuboto reveals that he's really shorter compared to her, and leads her army against the Zard. Just after he unleashes Mazinger's full power against the Zard wiping most of them out, Kabuto somehow sent back to Earth and finds a month has passed here as he reengages his own enemy. Even though this was billed by the American publishers of First Comics as being a "all ages" title, there is some gratuitous nudity and action in it. It was printed as an album-sized comic specifically in English in 1988, so its probably not to hard to spot in the magazine section of a used book store. A lot of the elements Go Nagai made for this were later used in his Mazin Saga manga series that also became an early 90s video game. The comic has some spectacular visuals, and any fan of classic giant robots will totally dig it!

Great article

My interest in Mazinger began when I was young. There was an adaptation of Go Nagai's creation for Sega Genesis. The game was, and still is, great--but extremely difficult. The visuals really intrigued me. Years later I came to discover Mazinger, also known as Mazinger Z, is a great force in the Japan manga and anime market. A U.S. variation of the original anime did exist, and was popular for a time, but isn't easy to find now. For those who don't know, Mazinger is essentially a giant robot piloted by a human, a genre that was and is very popular in Japan (i.e. Gundam, Power Rangers).As for this book--it is more along the lines of a graphic novel than a manga. The art is beautiful and the article in the back about Go Nagai is pretty illuminating (if not a little weirdly written). This is the one and only U.S. debut of Mazinger in comic book form, which is a real shame, it seems the mythology is so rich. This version is its own entity--think of it as Mazinger in one of many universes. The plot revolves around a dystopian future but actually takes an unexpected turn into fantasy, including Gulliver's travels references. Though it claims to be for all ages, I wouldn't let children read this--it is extremely violent and features some nudity, though not very vulgar.Overall, it is a fun, quick read, with much emphasis on action and style over plot. But the artwork makes it worthwhile. It's too bad Mazinger's original mangas haven't been translated into English. I would like to see more of this character. Recommended for fans of Japanese culture and action oriented comic books.