Jormungand, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Keitaro Takahashi (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 2009 | Series: Jormungand (Book 1)

Death is their business, and business is good. R to L (Japanese Style). Death is their business, and business is good. Jonah is a child soldier, born into the chaotic conflicts that rage across Africa, his family lost to a war fueled by weapons supplied by the so-called "Merchants of Death"--international arms dealers. Despite Jonah's hatred of weapons and violence, he employs both extremely well in the service of high-flying arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar and her band of mercenaries. Their journey through the dark underbelly of the world's arms markets may lead only to damnation, but will Jonah one day make his way back to the light? Only one thing is certain: it's going to be a long, hard road out of Hell... Jonah was a child soldier, born in the chaotic conflicts that rage across Africa, his family lost to a war fueled by weapons supplied by the so-called “Merchants of Death”—international arms dealers. Despite Jonah’s hatred of weapons and violence, he employs both extremely well, and does so in the service of high-flying arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar and her band of mercenaries. Their journey through the dark underbelly of the world’s arms markets may lead only to damnation, but will Jonah one day make his way back to the light? Only one thing is certain; it’s a long hard road out of Hell…

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Keitaro Takahashi’s debut work Ordinary± won the Four Seasons Prize in 1999 and was subsequently serialized in Gekkan Afternoon. Before Jormungand began serialization in 2006, Takahashi illustrated several novels. Takahashi’s work is known for its striking, angular style.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (November 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421532158
• ISBN-13: 978-1421532158
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,437,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite the entertainer, December 25, 2009

By 

L. Wu - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jormungand, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Volume 1 of the Graphic novel Jormungand to me, is quite an entertaining comic.

The story is structured in arcs, which I think is great. (Like it's episodic.)

The characters are entertaining, especially Koko Hekmatyar, who has quite a quirky personality and if not, a little crazy. Jonah may be cold most of the time but has an interesting outlook, also keeps his cold demeanour as a mask. Not a whole lot of the cast is seen in this volume.
Which is where I bring you to a problem- there is a whole squad of people Koko employed, but we only get to meet about 6 people of the cast throughout the whole volume. (This is fixed in later volumes)

Art wise: The artist's style does not make much use of tones, so the book is done in mostly heavy inks, a bit rough at that (but still enjoyable!) He puts great detail into guns and action scenes, it makes the book very lively!

About the story: The story in the arcs retains a very action based plot, but in the midst of it, there is a feel of comedy at times, which may bother some who are expecting a full on serious serious story.

Also for those who are a bit sensitive, There appears to be bit of love interest (Female x Female) in here, which is great to see in my opinion but may not be for others. (it is more prominent in the second volume, more Valmet x Koko).

In all, I give Jormungand a 4, not a 5 because of the lack of cast introduced and characterised, only displayed for a few panels.