Orion [Paperback]

Masamune Shirow (Author), Frederik L. Schodt (Author), Toren Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Orion | Publication Date: May 16, 2001

In the mighty Yamata Empire, magic and technology are one and the same. Now the Empire is preparing its ultimate feat of psycho-science: the destruction of all the negative karma in the galaxy. But will this mystical purification be the salvation of humanity -- or its ultimate destruction? Only one being can save the Empire from its folly: Susano, the God of Destruction.Wild, arrogant, and homicidal, Susano has come to teach the world the true nature of power! Masamune Shirow, creator of Appleseed, Dominion, Intron Depot, and Ghost in the Shell, has built a rabid worldwide following with his unique, eclectic, and visually stunning blend of science-fiction and fantasy.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Internationally-acclaimed artist Masamune Shirow was born in Japan in 1961. Little else is known about the private life of this artist, except that he enjoys reading and keeps spiders as pets. Even the name he works under is a pseudonym concocted to help conceal his true identity. Despite his efforts to remain anonymous, the world can not get enough of the hermetic but phenomenally talented artist who has published an intense array of science-fiction-themed adventures. Shirow's impressive body of work includes his multi-volumed "life's work," Appleseed; the mystical sci-fi extravaganza Dominion; his ground-breaking, world-renowned study of the evolution of man with machine, Ghost in the Shell; and dozens of other projects including his first-ever comics work, Black Magic, and the incredibly detailed guides to his art, Intron Depot and Intron Depot II: Blades. Shirow's entire library of work is available in English through Dark Horse Comics.The artist recently finished his long-anticipated sequel to Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell II: Man/Machine Interface, which will be published by Dark Horse in early 2002.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; 3rd edition (May 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569715726
• ISBN-13: 978-1569715727
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,734,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating ideas and silly jokes, October 11, 2001

By 

"spittingtrashcan" (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orion (Paperback)

If you must bring only one book on an extended and boring trip, bring this one. Not so much due to the quality of its plot, which is convoluted enought to bring one to tears. Neither for the artistry and technique of the book, which although above par is not in the same league as Shirow's better-known Ghost in the Shell, or Yukito Kishiro's brilliantly illustrated Gunnm series. No, this book is worth bringing because of the sheer volume of fascinating ideas mentioned only in passing.

Shirow's works are always worth several rereads, partly because his work is so dense that it may take three or four passes through before you understand the whole plot. In this case, however, Shirow has really outdone himself. The reader is thrown headlong into a massively complex world with rules entirely its own, and expected to remember everything they've seen in order to understand what is to come. Don't skip or skim over a single line of dialogue, or you may miss an important clue about the nature of events to come.

A good foreknowledge of Japanese mythology helps immensely in understanding both the events and the elaborate jokes Shirow is making by recasting various deities and powers in his own context. I know I'm missing a number of cultural references myself. Fortunately, the author has seen fit to include a lengthy appendix on his world as it relates to "real" mythology, but this is also dense and possibly confusing, as he himself admits.

If complex plot and creative metaphysics aren't your bag, then the humor in this book still holds appeal. Riding above the heavy plot is a hefty dose of slapstick. Susano has some great one-liners for a God of Destruction, and the style of the dialogue is reflected in the illustration, which veers from detailed and realistic as the plot advances, to cartoony and dynamic as the characters trade quips and visual gags. The sight of the priest Fuzen staring at the blasted crater where one of his followers had just stood still sends me into paroxysms of laughter.

In the end, this book is not the best ever; go read Ghost in the Shell for a contender for that position. But it manages to succeed both as a complex pseudo-metaphysical treatise and a physical comedy. Laugh 'til your head hurts.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best of Shirow's work, July 13, 2000

By 

Paulo Schneider - See all my reviews

This review is from: Orion (Paperback)

Ok, if you are reading this you might already own the book or are pondering if it's worth it. If you fall in the second category, my advice: buy it ! It's not exactly the same kind if plotline or theme as the other mangas by Shirow (which are more down to earth and police based, in a sense), but it's wild, new and exciting. It may seem a little confusing and completly insane but it's a masterpiece both in story as in graphics. Well, if you are looking in checking the whole Shirow work, i would recommend starting with Dominion, Ghost in the Shell and then Appleseed (which is quite a story).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masamune Shirow/Ghost in the Shell fans will love it, July 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Orion (Paperback)

This comic book does what it's supposed to do. It tells a good story through excellent illustation by Shirow. Forget the bad review! (If you enjoyed GITS, then you probably have this book anyway, right?) This is one of his first stories alongside Appleseed.