Review: Battle Angel Alita Vol. 1

Title: Battle Angel Alita Vol. 1
Author: Yukito Kishiro
Genre: Manga, Graphic Novel
Publisher: Kondasha
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: January 23, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a dump in the lawless settlement of Scrapyard, far beneath the mysterious space city of Zalem, disgraced cyber-doctor Daisuke Ido makes a strange find: the detached head of a cyborg woman who has lost all her memories. He names her Alita and equips her with a powerful new body, the Berserker. While Alita remembers no details of her former life, a moment of desperation reawakens in her nerves the legendary school of martial arts known as Panzer Kunst. In a place where there is no justice but what people make for themselves, Alita decides to become a hunter-killer, tracking down and taking out those who prey on the weak. But can she hold onto her humanity as she begins to revel in her own bloodlust?

Review:

I chose this graphic novel on NetGalley because I saw a preview of the upcoming movie adaptation. I was curious about the story, because it looked unique.

The story was good. I liked that Alita was a strong fighter. Depending on the body she is given, she has different abilities. But she was always strong. The villain, Makuka, was so creepy and gross. He was often just a head that rolled around, but the face was disturbing.

Some of the pages in my copy were in colour. I loved the art on these pages. The other pages were just black and white, so it was sometimes hard to tell what was happening. There were a lot of elaborate fight scenes, which were enhanced by the colours, but difficult to decipher when in black and white.

I liked this story, so I’ll have to check out the movie when it comes out.