Cyborg 009, Volume 2

Cyborg 009 #2

by Shōtarō Ishinomori, Bryan Masumoto, Mike Wellman

In a classic manga from the Cold War era, nine cyborg prototypes who escaped from the evil Black Ghost organization capture an enemy submarine and take their battle back to the Black Ghost himself and his headquarters.

Genres: Manga, Shonen, Science Fiction, Comics, Graphic Novels

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1966

About the author

Shōtarō Ishinomori (石ノ森章太郎) was a Japanese manga artist and cartoonist. Known as the "King of Manga", he is regarded as one of the most influential manga artists of all time.

Reviews

[Jean-Pierre Vidrine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly less preachy than Vol. 1, this anti-war saga of the '60s continues with a good balance of the cartoony and the serious. What Tezuka did for robots in his Astro Boy series, Ishinomori does here for cyborgs. His creativity is particularly enjoyable in the chapter "Man-Eating Mansion." I'm hoping in vain that that won't be the last I see of 0012. I'm hoping Vol. 3 and 0013 are equally intriguing.

[Kaotic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this series keeps getting better and better.

It really gives us a look into who 009 was and each of thier personalities. They're protective of 003, they're genuinely good people.

But that doesn't mean their not willing to do what it takes to get the job done. They don't want to kill, but if they have to they will.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are pretty fascinating... it's really interesting to see Ishinomori using manga as a medium for his anti-war message. I also really enjoy the old-school artwork, and the story is fast-paced.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the artwork is lovely in his it's lovely. As with volume 1, though, it can be a bit patchy and it feels like there are times when Shinimori can't be so bothered - mostly when the cyborgs are sitting around in less dynamic scenes. I sense it's a plethora of interesting cyborg-y bad guys that are going to provide the continued interest in this manga and I'm ok with that.

[Daniel Greear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cyborg 009 (Vol 2):

Good, I like the story and the anti-war message. The art style is pretty interesting and I also liked the plot line about Cyborg 012 being a mansion. It felt very Shirley Jackson-esque and was a creative move away from what is to be expected. I crave more character development, so I hope we get more of it down the road in later books.