Recently glancing over some of the various North American manga titles in my box today, I saw many genres covered. We have INU-YASHA and RANMA from the Takahashi front, TENCHI and OH! MY GODDESS handling cute girls and comedy (in different ways), EVANGELION doing a new twist on the big robot idea, MIXXZINE covering shoujo, PATLABOR doing politics and character interaction, and so on. It would be impossible to really lump the many titles together into one cliche, but when I first saw THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW I thought it stood out as somehow different.
THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW is the latest release from Dark Horse's import pipeline as Yukinobu Hoshino's comic interpretation of the 1979 science-fiction novel by James P. Hogan. This was originally published in Japan in 1993, and is currently being released as a 13-part series.
First off, the cover itself did not star any major character, but instead showed a background of a futuristic city under attack. Perhaps a sign of things to come, but inside this issue was portrayed a world government at peace and busy growing out into space.
The first panels go into detail on the science of a mass-driver, a linear accelerator that would quickly send moon ore out into orbit to be relayed for construction projects. Much of this issue spends time in explaining devices such as these and making this world a believable futuristic setting.
The main character is Dr. Raymond Dyer, a brilliant designer of a self-programming adapting system which revolutionized the world. He and his team are an interesting mix of professionals of different personalities. Also along for the ride is Laura Fenning, a noisy and annoying reporter who asks for explanations about everything (and thus helps the reader understand the world). The characters are drawn plainly, and not in an obviously "anime" style.
Storywise, this issue deals with introducing the world and this computer system. TITAN, as it is called, learns to do the various organizational tasks assigned to it more efficiently over time, but is not capable of ambitious thought, as it is limited. However, when "errors in judgement" occur that endanger people's lives, worries appear that the more advanced systems to come may have devastating effects.
Thus the overall plot of this series will center around an experiment in a confined (but huge) space station to determine what a less-restricted system would do. Will it prove to be dangerous to humankind in its inablitiy to make moral choices and prove to be uncontrollable, or will it evolve into a tool to help man reach its full potential? These are the "Two Faces of Tomorrow".
The drawing style is simple but clear, especially when detailing technology. It is easy to follow the action and conversations between characters, and the art gives a good feeling of proportion of size. The characters are not much to look at, but are distinct enough to be easily recognized. This is certainly an example of art simply telling a story, rather than of art for admiring.
The panels in this issue concentrate on setting a scene over character development and action. There is little humor other than standard human interaction, and no roaring lasers or flying fists.
Overall, I enjoyed this prologue to the series, and plan to continue following it. I have not had a chance to read a good science-fiction story for a while, and felt THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW kept my interest in seeing where the experiment leads.
As a true science-fiction story in the vein of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW is a departure from the standard manga import from Japan. The drawing style is simple but serious, the story delves into realistic possible future issues, and the scale is epic but believable. THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW may disappoint anyone expecting a "standard" manga (whatever that may be), but traditional science-fiction lovers should definitely take a look at this tale.

THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW 32 pages / Volume 1 of 13 Art and Adaptation by Yukinobu Hoshino Original Novel by James P. Hogan Released in North America by Dark Horse Comics Produced by Studio Proteus English Translation by Frederik L. Schodt and Toren Smith $US 2.95 / $Can 3.95