One of the cooler manga books to come out in a while is Smuggler, by Shohei Manabe (creator of the much-praised Dead End). It’s the noirish tale of an actor down on his luck who gets sucked into a dark underworld full of loan sharks, Yakuza and assorted lowlifes who force the actor into a body-smuggling scheme. The dark, sketchy artwork, all cigarettes and shadows, is a perfect match for such a gritty story.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
