Ryuko Vol. 1

by Eldo Yoshimizu

Overview

From creator Eldo Yoshimizu comes a stunning manga which tells the tale of Ryuko, a fierce woman of the Yakuza thirsty for revenge.

Ryuko is a hard-hitting, motorcycle-riding, high ranking member of the Japanese mafia stationed in the Middle-East. After a fierce battle with the government, she becomes embroiled with the Chinese and an unknown terrorist organisation. Everyone has their own agenda, but it becomes personal for Ryuko when her mother is kidnapped and she was forced to kill her father. What is the right thing to do in this morally complicated situation?

Ryuko has a choice to make, but it's tough when good and evil appear to be two sides of the same coin...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787730946
Publisher:	Titan
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Series:	Ryuko Series , #1
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,089,095
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Eldo Yoshimizu was born in 1965 in Tokyo. Having specialized in sculpture while studying at the University of Arts in Tokyo, he has installed numerous works in public space - some of them are among the most significant sculptures in Japan. Exhibitions in Japan as well as throughout Asia and in New York prove his international success and led him in 1994 to a scholarship as "Artist in Residence" in New York. In 2003 he realized the work »First Light« for the art and exhibition space of the Louis Vuitton branch in Omotesando. With the feeling of having satisfied his hunger in the field of contemporary fine art, he turned to Gekigaand began to focus on the interplay of object and space in the art of storytelling. He also works as a photographer and as a musician.

Editorial Reviews

06/10/2019

Multimedia fine artist Yoshimizu bursts onto the manga field with this stylish crime thriller. Yakuza boss Ryuko’s Black Dragon Group operates on an international chess board of violence and political conflict while she attempts to sort personal issues. Decades ago, one of her father’s underlings sought to rule their crime crew, so he held Ryuko’s mother hostage and banished her father to Afghanistan, where he allied with a local king and amassed a fortune. Growing up amid the Soviet-Afghan War, Ryuko becomes a hardened warrior and murders her father when he sells out the king to a rebel general. His reign over, the king entrusts Ryuko with his newborn daughter, Valer, whom Ryuko raises as her own. In the present, Ryuko learns her mother is alive and deploys forces to enact vengeance against her father’s betrayers and her mother’s kidnappers, while also handling assassins, rival crime bosses, Russian spies, and assorted James Bond–ian mayhem. Yoshimizu’s art is a stylistic blend influenced by manga legends Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999) and Monkey Punch (Lupin III), and European comics tropes of the 1960s and ’70s, especially Italian cartoonist Guido Crepax (Valentina). Though wearing its influences on its sleeve, this lively series opener avoids being a mere pastiche and warrants return readership. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Respected fine artist Yoshimizu propels an enormous cast through a complicated plot that twists and turns without ever losing momentum and presents action sequences—of which there are many—in brilliantly disorienting compositions that emphasize speed and a sense of unfolding carnage. Fun for fans of Manga, crime epics, espionage thrillers, action adventure, and bold choices in illustration and storytelling. "-Library Journal Starred Review

"Fine artist Yoshimizu bursts onto the manga field with this stylish crime thriller" - Publishers Weekly

"The plot twists have plot twists and then explode ... The action is excellent and fast-paced, every page worth reading" - Geek Native

"Delivers action, international intrigue and a complex exploration of morality" - Crime Fiction Lover

"A newly translated classic from one of Japan's greatest artists" – CrimeReads

"A real treat for lovers of hard-boiled seinen manga ... finds just the right balance between explosions, fights, and quiet moments of exposition" - Barnes & Noble SciFi Blog

"Outrageously entertaining violence ... Fans of Kill Bill, Cowboy Bebop, or just gun-toting crime lords will find something to enjoy in this fast paced storyline" - Bleeding Cool

"[An] elaborate saga of the deeds of the dead returning to haunt the lives of the living" - All The Anime

"A solid crime thriller fresh from the picture-house, filled with action-film style pandemonium" - Nerdly

"A fast-paced crime thriller filled with gritty action, beautiful illustrations, and complex characters" - But Why Tho

"A true work of art ... one of the best, must-own comics of 2019" - Culture of Gaming

"[A] potent mix of violence, yakuza intrigue, double-crosses, and barely-clothed assassins ... But oh, those fight scenes! They’re worth the price of admission, as they showcase the full range of Yoshimizu’s talents" - Manga Critic

"Really hits the ground running ... This is pure theatre; operatic tragedy meets revenger’s tale ... 4/4" - NB Magazine

"Absolutely beautiful ... It’s no wonder that Galleries all over the world exhibit Eldo Yoshimizu’s art" - Needless Essentials

"Quite simply, a spectacular exercise in comics art, a kinetic, breathless rush of a read ... a perfect example of how different, how incredible, how staggeringly great Manga can be and you simply should miss it" - Comicon.com

In 'Ryuko', danger is everything. It’s double-fisted grenade launchers and chaotic blurs across the face and upper torso. It’s helicopters and lingerie and furious anger and this cover, staggering as it is—is only the eye of the hurricane ... When you crack the spine of Vol.1 and find your jaw on the floor, you’ll finally have an intimate knowledge of what art really does to you"- Doom Rocket

From the Publisher

09/20/2019

Ryuko, the leader of a crime syndicate located in a small Middle Eastern kingdom, is forced to take action after her rebellious foster daughter attempts to steal a fortune from the powerful General Rashid. Ryuko establishes herself as one of the most ferocious warriors to debut in the last decade, as she quickly overcomes the general's forces, but she's left reeling when Rashid reveals his connection to her family's tragic history and the whereabouts of her mother, whom Ryuko believed to be dead. The ensuing adventure sees Ryuko wreak havoc across the globe as her search for answers brings her face to face with rival gang leaders, terrorist organizations, former friends, and allies, and a dancer named Tatiana seeking the truth behind her father's death. VERDICT Respected fine artist Yoshimizu propels an enormous cast through a complicated plot that twists and turns without ever losing momentum and presents action sequences—of which there are many—in brilliantly disorienting compositions that emphasize speed and a sense of unfolding carnage. Fun for fans of Manga, crime epics, espionage thrillers, action adventure, and bold choices in illustration and storytelling.—Tom Batten, Grafton, VA

Library Journal