No Man's Land, Volume 2

No Man's Land #2

by Jason DeAngelis, Jennyson Rosero

John Parker had it all. A decorated sharpshooter in the Civil War, he had a promising career ahead of him, a beautiful wife, and a newborn son. But after becoming embroiled in a dark and demonic conspiracy engineered by the Bakerton Detective Agency, he lost everything. Fleeing to the West, a broken man, Parker reinvents himself as "No Man," a heartless gun-for-hire whose only solace comes from hunting and killing the demons who he helped set loose. With Buntline Special in hand, a deadly revolver with a sixteen inch barrel, he blasts his way through a different kind of Old West, where strange and evil beings lurk.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Westerns

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2005

Reviews

[Cherie Cheriri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding this small series again after so many years is nostalgic, and the added yellow pages to the copies I found add on to that. No Man's Land is something that I wish I could see the end of but sadly it only ever got 2 volumes, despite the creator showing designs for Parker in volume 3. I don't know full details of why it was dropped, but I would hope that one day we see the end to Parker's story of redemption and revenge.
Volume 2 shows a lot of potential of where things could have gone, what might have been, but we're only left to speculate and hope for the best. All in all, I don't regret reading it, but sadly can't give it more stars as this volume literally tips the ball to get rolling.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the blend of the western with the Lovecraftian demons.

[Joel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Snygg tecknad men står inte så mycket ut inte heller blev storyn klar och finns bara dessa två volymer :/
Nån galen snubbe fann Necronomicom boken och det är ju något iaf.

[Mika Auramo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Näköjään kaksiosaiseksi jääneen villin lännen mangatarina päättyy kesken. Demonimetsästäjä Jonathan Parker kohtaa ensimmäisessä luvussa pääpahiksen eli etsivä Bakertonin pojan, eikä kohtaamisesta puutu yliluonnollisia elementtejä.

Tarinassa roikkuva Cherokee Bill tulee jälleen pelastettua, ja loppu kakkososassa onkin takaumaa: Parker jutustelee torkkuvan Billin kuunnellessa sieltä täältä jorinoita.

Hyvän ja pahan vastakkainasettelua lähdetään setvimään lapsuudesta. Koskettavuutta lisätään orpotaustalla, ja hyvyyttä korostetaan kasvatti-isän kristillisillä kveekariarvoilla.

Sitten päästäänkin kliseiden kyllästämälle tielle, joka katetaan löyhällä historiallisella päällysteellä. Parker nimitetään Lincolnin henkivartiostoon, Booth saakin Bakertonilta demonista uutetta, jonka vallassa hän murhaa presidentin.
Siitä pääseekin kirjaimellisesti helvetti valloilleen, kun Bakerton piirtelee lattiaan pentagrammin ja avaa rituaalikäsikirjansa avulla pimeyden portit, eikä Parker helpota tilannetta ollenkaan - päinvastoin.
Samalla vaimon ja lapsen katoamista ja väkivallan uhkaa taustoitetaan, eikä siihen saada vastauksia, sen paremmin kuin Parkerin ja Billin hengailuun tai odotettavissa olevaan välienselvittelyyn Bakertonin ja omituisten demonien kanssa: niiden pää pitää katkaista, koska niiden sydän on siellä.

Lännessä siis pyssyt paukkuvat, miekka viuhuu, domonien päät katkeilevat. Hirviöitä singahtelee ovista ja ikkunoista…

[Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways, I think this volume is better than the first. Getting into John's story makes the plot way more interesting, and the story has some basis now. If the first and second manga had been combined into one large manga, it would have been even better, but standing alone, the first one is only an introduction and isn't the BEST grabber for a series.

I love the historical aspects of this story, along with the paranormal twist. John is a strong character, but at the same time, reading this the second time around, he seems rather selfish - he'll let the whole world die because of a grudge against some people.

Either way, I'd still like to see this series continued and I wish they would come out with volume 3.

[Rodney Wilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, albeit somewhat abruptly ended, conclusion to the engaging pseudo-history horror/western story established in volume one. Powerfully gripping art complements the narrative well. More than two volumes seems necessary, but even with just the two, it is a series well worth the read.