Thanks To NetGalley and UDON Entertainment For The Opportunity To Review This Title.
The newest review has us taking a newer approach to an iconic legacy, one that doesn’t tarnish it like Tezuka Productions and Akita Shoten’s idea for a co-produced AI Manga based on Black Jack. Team Phoenix Vol. 1 introduces a grand crossover that is a Space Opera with a creative approach to classic characters, thanks to Comic Artist, Kenny Ruiz (Tezucomi, Malefic Time: Soum, Dos Espadas).
Team Phoenix brings together the legendary characters of Osamu Tezuka for a tale that brings a band of space pirates consisting of Sapphire, the Princess Knight of Silverland, Leo of the Planet Jungaly, and Sharaku, The Three-Eyed One to fight the Robot Alliance, which dominates 90 percent of the universe! Can Sapphire and the rebels save the biologicks (Organic Organisms) from this Deadly Alliance?!
Like most television pilots, certain first volumes (or comic book issues), the first volume of Team Phoenix feels a tad rushed in certain places of the story, but the plot is still intriguing and maintains a good pace. The idea of Organic Organisms fighting against an alien or robotic force has been a go-to formula for Science Fiction Tales, but when you have a crossover like this, it is a nostalgia-filled experience. Kenny Ruiz has a good grasp of how to portray Tezuka’s characters.
What I enjoy most about Team Phoenix aside from the story was the clever easter egg in the story’s name, a fitting nod to Osamu Tezuka’s greatest manga of all time, Phoenix, though I have to admit that I have not had the opportunity to read it (I will eventually!). As for the artwork, Ruiz’s work is a bonus in my opinion as a first-time reader of his work. His linework is clean, and crisp, with each sequence well-detailed both with action and emotional expression. Each of the character designs that have been presented so far stays true to what Osamu Tezuka has created.
Team Phoenix Volume One is available now in bookstores and on Amazon. If you’re a fan of Osamu Tezuka’s work or just a fan of Sci-Fi manga, Team Phoenix is worth checking out!
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Final Grade:
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