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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
He'll take any job, if the price is right. He'll go anywhere, hunt anyone and take them down with a single shot—and he never misses. Golgo 13 is the James Bond of Japan, but without the wry sense of humor. Saito's indefatigable mercenary first appeared in 1968 and has been a staple of manga and anime ever since. Viz's new edition marks his second appearance in English. This volume contains two stories from his long run. The first, originally printed in 1997, features a plot by Saddam Hussein to build a supergun that could fire from its secret location in Iraq and hit a target in the United States, with no chance of any countermeasures stopping the blast. The story is mostly a convoluted plot featuring dozens of characters including a caricatured President Clinton and very little of Golgo himself. Reading the story now gives a creepy sense of déjà vu. The second story, a vintage tale from 1979, is more about Golgo 13's fearsome reputation than the man himself. Long unavailable in English, Golgo's muscular adventures should appeal to those looking for tough action tales, with Saito's old-school manga style crisply capturing details of violence and the men and weapons that make it. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE MASTER ASSASSIN IS BACK!,
This review is from: Golgo 13, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
Golgo 13 has been one of the most popular action/adventure characters in Manga for years and now Viz is bringing back the world's greatest assassin for hire in some of his greatest stories for their Viz Signature line of Manga. The first volume features two Golgo stories. In the first story, originally from the mid 1990's, UN weapons inspectors in Iraq discover a truck carrying a special alloy pipe that they claim is to be used in the construction of a damn. Later, satellite photo surveillance reveals the pipe sticking out of an opening in the complete damn. Scientists soon discover that this is no pipe, but rather the barrel of a supergun, capable of firing a rocket into orbit and then hitting a target in the U.S., and it's aimed at Washington D.C.President Clinton and his staff find themselves in a quandary. If they call an airs strike against the weapon, it will destroy the damn and flood out thousands of Iraqis. This will make the U.S. the aggressor in the eyes of the world and get public opinion on the side of Saddam Hussein (who makes an appearance in the book). In order to try and draw a reaction from the U.S., Hussein goads them by violating the no-fly zone in the northern Iraq Kurdish province. Meanwhile Saddam only needs one shot with his supergun that can't be shot down with any anti-missile technology due to its speed. Thus they know the only means of destroying the weapon is by subterfuge and Golgo 13 is called in to handle the job. It's a bit eerie reading this story, especially due to the events of the past few years such as 911 and the Iraq War. Creator Takao Saito was certainly foreshadowing future events. In the shorter second feature, the fiancé of a private investigator and former police detective is run down by a hit and run driver and lies in the hospital near death. The PI soon discovers that the driver was a local organized crime boss named George Andreou but his people have already disposed of the car and the police have no evidence to go on. With no help from the police, the PI hires Golgo 13 to do what he can't...take that scumbag out! Soon word of the contract spreads so fast that even the boss's body guards quit rather than deal with the fearsome assassin. In addition to the two stories there is a section of supplemental information about the Golgo character that includes notes on his physical abilities, personal data, lists of aliases and cover occupations he's used, and various theories as to the origin of the name. A great introduction to the character if you've never read his exploits before. Reviewed by Tim Janson
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
One dimensional character...,
This review is from: Golgo 13, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
It's not the worst thing I've read, but it's certainly towards the bottom. The main character is completely one dimensional and has absolutely no personality which leaves you with a boring book and no desire to continue reading further. It looked neat and I really wanted to like this series but after buying the first 3 books I realized I was wasting my money.
1 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
ISN'T AN M16 A BAD ASSASSINATION WEAPON?,
By Sesho "www.sesho.libsyn.com" (Pasadena, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Golgo 13, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
Golgo 13 makes the old 1960's Batman with Adam West look hyper-realistic by comparison. I mean this first volume is so full of camp it takes the tough-guy James Bond character and takes it to such levels of extreme stoicism that this action title becomes a comedy. Duke Togo, or "Golgo 13" is an assassin for hire that kills his targets with an M16 and never changes his angry looking facial expression. Golgo has the same look on his face when he's killing a person and when he's having sex! It never changes! The fact that he shows no human emotion makes him one of the most uninteresting characters I have ever seen.Adding to the unintentional(?) comedy in the first of two stories is a manga version of that loveable pervert Bill Clinton as he learns of the existence in 1997 of a supergun manufactured by current convict Saddam Hussein. This gun has such much power and velocity that a shell fired from it could reach the White House itself! Not that it would have been much loss in those years. After pages and pages and pages and pages of worrying about what to do Golgo 13 is sent in. Now, I don't have to raise the issue of how much a Japanese person dressed in Arab clothes would stick out, do I? Takao Saito draws the Iraqis with the most stereotypical Arab physical features he could find that smacks a little of racism. The second story is notable for the fact that Golgo 13 isn't even in it! But I won't even go into that one. Suffice it to say, that's like going to see a James Bond film and then you find out he's not even in it! Dismal reading.
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