Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal [Paperback]

Adam Warren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 1995

The Great Kanto earthquake left scars on the city that can't be hidden underneath the new veneer of urban repair. Even as the glorious Genom tower rises higher, in its shadow creeps a new wave of crime, a sign that beneath the growing prosperity and recovery is an undercurrent of discontent . . . a world on the brink of exploding. And if the Armored Defense Police can't prevent that explosion, then the Knight Sabers will have to stay the rising tide of chaos!

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; 1 edition (November 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569711208
• ISBN-13: 978-1569711200
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,373,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well, I Liked It. So There., April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal (Paperback)

I must admit, I am more than a little confused by the somewhat violent and decidedly unpleasant reaction others have given this graphic novel. I actually rather enjoyed the thing, and I believe the main reason for that is this: I never saw ANY of the "Bubblegum Crisis" animes before I read "Grand Mal." Science fiction fans, on the whole, are a rather obsessive and unforgiving lot. I should know, I'm one of them. However, my obsession with all things sci-fi has not left me so closed-minded that I will not accept any variations on some favorite characters of mine. A fan of the original "Star Trek" first, I stll gave "Next Generation" a chance, and ended up liking it better. Here, unfortunately, the BGC fans who have read this comic do not appear to have given it a chance, which is exemplified by the somewhat angry remarks I have seen, which were colored by this. For point of clarification: the story is good sci-fi, and the artwork is a good example of Adam Warren's "middle-period" drawing style. Now, as for whether or not this is good "Bubblegum Crisis," I still can't say. However, on it's own, I can say that this is a good comic.

Adam Warren is somewhat well known for his deeply sarcastic, satire-ridden, dark humor-laced writing style. Interestingly, he does not do much of that in "Grand Mal," which has to be the darkest and most serious of all the stories he has worked on(and I've read them all). However, some of that satire is still present, particularly in the depiction of the media, and in the "poetry" seen in the story, which is a blatant humorous imitation of the incredibly pretentious urban street poetry of New York, Paris, London, and yes, probably Tokyo.

The story itself is nice little piece of "cyberpunk"-class science fiction, involving an attempt by a brain-damaged, seizure-prone, and decidedly suicidal ex-mercenary to complete his final mission, two years after it originally failed. The "Knight Sabres," the main characters of "Bubblegum Crisis," just happen to be in his way, which is likely why so many BGC fans were miffed. The mercinary is the true main character of the story, and everything centers around him. Personally, I find it interesting when one can see known characters through the eyes of a third party, so I see no reason why a BGC fan wouldn't like this story.

The artwork: yes, it's a bit lacking compared to some of Warren's other work from the period, but there is a reason for that. This was the first comic Warren ever did in color, and an artist must alter their style accordingly to go from black and white to color. Warren didn't quite catch on here, but did make the proper shift eventually with "The Dirty Pair: Fatal But Not Serious" the following year, which looks excellent. Even so, the artwork is still clean, and nice to look at, and as I've said elsewhere, bad Warren art is still good art by most sandards.

So, "Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal" may not be ideal BGC, but it is still a good book. Personally, I like variations on a theme, and I thusly enjoy all four incarnations of "The Dirty Pair," especially Warren's version. Any long-time "Bubblegum Crisis" fan should have no problem enjoying "Grand Mal," so long as they keep an open mind. Highly recommended to sci-fi fans, manga fans, Warren fans, and yes, BGC fans. After all, there really isn't much BGC manga out there in the first place.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To all those who hated this., October 5, 2006

By 

Donovan Atkinson "Amon" (Roseville, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal (Paperback)

If any of those below had bothered to do their research, or had the original paper back of this book, they would have known that Kenichi Sonoda approved this manga. Who is Kenichi Sonoda? Only the creator of Bubblegum Crisis, no one special. Characters were true to form with an Adam Warren twist. Sonoda was very proud of this comic, and the fact he didn't have to draw anything in it.

~ Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Come now, it's not THAT bad., July 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal (Paperback)

Being a huge BGC fan, I can definitely say that this graphic novel was ....different. In the first place I like seeing anything BGC-related, especially in comic form. But it isn't difficult to see that Adam Warren took many liberties with the BGC world. Perhaps he was under the assumption that BGC was not as well known and then tried to put his own spin on it to expand the scope for new readers, much like how he redid his best-known work, the Dirty Pair. Unfotunately, Warren's biggest fault is that he tries to sound too smart. This isn't meant to imply that we readers are idiots -certainly not!- but anyone who is familar with Warren will have to agree the man is learned. He seems to know a great deal about physics, theology, sociology, cultural anthropology, and a whole bunch of other -ologies too numerous to mention. Unfortunately, this vast knowledge seems to get in the way of the most important thing: having a fun story. True, the world of BGC is many-layered with many overlapping themes, but nothing is more important then the characters, whose development Warren seems to only touch upon. Grand Mal was not a horrific effort though, it was an interesting INTERPRETATION of the BGC we all know and love. But we should look upon it as that, only one man's interpretation, and not judge it TOO harshly. I thought Warren posed a few interesting ideas here and there. I hear he's working on another BGC story, and I hope he can loosen up a little this time.