Customer Reviews

Adolf, Vol. 4: Days Of Infamy

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This is a return to the action and espionage of the first book in the series. Most of this one takes place back in Japan. Toge, who has been guarding and trying to publicize the documents that prove that Hitler has Jewish ancestry, has finally found someone who can publicize them globally. His contact is the son of a Japanese general who has been spying on his father throughout the war. These plans quickly fall through and no one knows where the documents are, but Toge and others are beginning to realize that the war will still end, especially after the invasion of Pearl Harbor and the US entering the war against Japan. So life goes on in Japan.

Back in Germany, Adolf Kaufmann, a half German half Japanese boy raised in Japan but schooled in Germany, has been promoted to Lieutenant. When he is demoted for not arresting a war hero accused of trying to assassinate Hitler, he is restationed moving people between concentration camps. This is nasty work and Adolf, who is not even twenty yet, finds himself haunted by the faces of all the people he must shoot as part of his job. It is obvious to him and everyone else that he is soon going to be shipped off to the front line as canon fodder. With that alternative, he is offered a chance to transfer to the Gestapo and return to Japan to find and destroy the documents.

This is a great series. I highly recommend it. This book stands alone well and has plenty of action. By now many subplots involving minor characters are starting to reemerge, so having read other books in the series will add a few layers to the mix. Keep in mind that the series is very violent. A big part of this story involves Adolf being rough with and shooting people as part of his job and the psychological effect that this has on him. So don't give this book to your fourth grader to teach them history.

Let's be honest here, if you've made it this far into Osamu Tezuka's 5 volume, 'Adolf,' series, chances are you'll find volume 4 just as engrossing as the previous books with enough dangling setup that will have you looking forward to finding out how the series finally concludes.

In volume 4, the bulk of the storyline focuses itself on Adolf Kamil in the waning days of Germany's involvement in WWII with all the horrors of Nazi cruelty reflected through his eyes. Fans of the series will not be disappointed with the intricate, but beautifully executed, plotting and characerizations that have certainly lived up to its billing as hallmarks of this series.

This is the fourth installment of "Adolf". The books keep getting better and better.

The character development is unbelievable. The artwork is fantastic.

The story is like a roller-coaster ride.

I highly recommend this book, especially if you have read any one of the first three.