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MANGA REVIEWS

Story and Art by Masamune Shirow
Translation: Dana Lewiss and Toren Smith
Copyright © Masamune Shirow 1996,1997
Produced in North America by Studio Proteus and Dark Horse Comics
ISBN: 1-56971-233-6
First Edition: March 1997



—by Mark L. Johnson

Dominion has come and gone multiple times from the North American scene. There have been various tellings of this tank police story through manga and anime, and each has been different in its own way. The original manga was a light-hearted mecha-action story in a polluted future, and the first OVA series a darker tale with the same characters. The second anime series was closer to the original manga flavour, while DOMINION: CONFLICT 1 (originally released in February 1995 by Seishinsha) is a "mild bitter" as Shirow personally describes it.
  This time around, Shirow has changed the characters around in personality and position, from Leona's leadership status to the chief's non-violent behavior. Most of the original characters have been replaced too. Shirow meant to downplay the continuity from the first series (also available from Dark Horse in a graphic novel format), and instead wished readers to accept this as an alternate universe.
  The story centers on Leona and her tank police squad on the case of stopping the Urushi-maru, a well-armored sky-pirate performing terrorist-type activities in the city of Newport. This time Leona is a Squad Leader, and spends as much of her time fighting through the bureaucracy and turmoil of the police department as she does in her tank.

  Of note, the Puma twins are back this time as "reformed" androids and join the Police force, with Anna being assigned to Leona's squad..
  The action is intense when it does begin, with the details of futuristic tank combat portrayed in a rather believable fashion. Explosions and movement are very strong with a heavy use of motion lines.
  The artstyle is most easily defined as "Shirow" style. In more precise terms, Shirow specializes here in very detailed (approaching cluttered) near-futuristic environments and characters. The characters are perhaps the most defining feature, with emotional states being exaggerated. Shirow females are often "well-proportioned" as well, although this story does not feature them as much as GHOST IN THE SHELL did.
  Except for the first few pages, the art is black and white with many levels of shading. Many conversations occur at once and footnotes abound, so it is not surprising that not everything can be absorbed in one readthrough. The story is followed by a large set of notes on everything from rank insignia to the police heirarchy structure.
  If you are a fan of Shirow's work, certainly DOMINION: CONFLICT 1 will not disappoint. I actually found this to be a happier action tale than the first series, and quite enjoyed it myself. Although certainly not an easy read, the amount of detail and thought that Shirow puts into this series shines through.

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