Copyright © 1995, 1996 Nintendo * CREATURES * GAME FREAK

Fans following the Poke-mantra of "Gotta Catch 'em All!" will more than likely welcome this latest addition to the POKÉMON lineup. Now, in addition to the television series, videos of the television series, and the Pocket Pikachu, there's the English adaptation of the manga.
This first issue begins differently than the TV series. Instead of getting Pikachu from Professor Oak, Ash finds him chewing up the wires in his house. After catching the little critter, he decides he's going to keep him. Needless to say, Pikachu is not at all pleased at being put on a leash.
The characterizations are somewhat different than the anime, too. In the anime, Ash's desire to become a great Pokémon trainer has been a life-long dream of his. However, in the anime, he doesn't really seem that excited about it until he encounters Gary. Gary's goading prompts Ash into becoming a Pokémon trainer. Well, that, and the idea that this might make him more popular with Gary's sister May.
Ash isn't the only character that's different, either. Misty seems a bit more sure of herself and is definitely much more knowledgeable than her anime counterpart. When she first meets Ash, she lectures him on Pokémon training, and starts to recite statistics about how many trainers succeed and the like. However, she's not so different as to be unrecognizable, it's just a different take on the same character.
The story and art are both done by Ono Toshihiro, and he's done a good job. The variances in the story aren't so great as to make readers do double takes, but they do afford some variation to the now-familiar story. However, much of the story remains the same, such as Pikachu and Ash fleeing from the flock of angry Fearows.
The art is very nicely done as well. All of the human characters are very detailed, and as a result, they look somewhat older than they do in the anime. I actually prefer these character designs as they seem a bit more individualistic and more expressive. The biggest change is that Misty and all the female characters seem more adult. The supporting characters, too, are more varied and detailed.
The Pokemon here are rendered with great care and style, and they reflect the inherent cuteness that made POKÉMON the merchandising juggernaut it is. Pikachu is drawn very well and always looks cute. Other Pokémon appearing in the first issue are Gengar, Squirtle and his evolutions, and Pidgey and Fearow. There are also several composite shots of multiple monsters. The Pokémon here look exactly like their anime counterparts, rather than like the earlier drawings used in the first Game Boy game.
This is a no-brainer for fans of POKEMON. And, although the "cute" factor of the creatures may be too much for some readers to stomach, POKÉMON: THE ELECTRIC TALE OF PIKACHU is a fun read and one of the more original titles currently available on the American comic market. This title will most likely be running for a long time.

Released monthly by Viz Comics
B/W, 32 pages
$2.95
Available Now
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