Cauldron Comics
The home of all comics created by Michael Derrick.
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Cowa! (review)
When the smoke finally cleared on the blood-sweat-and-tears drama that Dragon Ball had become in its later
years, it perhaps came as no surprise when Akira Toriyama, creator of that now
legendary series, decided to return to his more humorous Dr. Slump roots and debut Cowa!,
a short, single-volume children’s comic.
Indeed, Toriyama’s intent to appeal
to an even younger audience than his usual shonen demographic becomes clear
upon reading this self-contained work, as none of the author’s trademark sex
jokes or double entendres are featured in what is ultimately a wholesome and
decidedly innocent reading experience.
But the good news for Toriyama fans
is that this more lighthearted approach does not come at the expense of his
usual panache for laugh-out-loud physical comedy, fast-paced action, and
profound character moments. No matter the target audience, Cowa! is very much an Akira Toriyama manga—and that’s a good thing
In Cowa!, Toriyama presents us with a silly, every-day-is-Halloween
world of benign and friendly Universal-style monsters (the Mummy tends a
watermelon patch, for example) and does an effortless job of endearing us to
this lovable cast of characters. The lead character, Paifu, is a mischievous
little half-vampire, half-were-koala—a spooky Tom Sawyer who, along with his
best friend Jose the Ghost, can’t help but get into sitcom-style predicaments
that provide plenty of comedic fodder early on in the series.
As is the expected formula for many
adventure manga, these early, done-in-one hijinks—while amusing on their
own—are really just there to introduce us to the world Toriyama has built and
set the stage for the larger, more action-oriented story to come. The nature of
the main quest—travel to the witch’s house to retrieve a cure for the Monster
Flu that has overtaken Paifu’s hometown of Batwing Ridge—transforms the series
from a slice-of-life humor story to a perilous road movie. The addition of
Makoleen, a grumpy human with a dark past whom even the monsters fear, adds an
element of reality that prevents what would otherwise be just a goofy romp from
feeling too goofy. The stakes are
raised, if only a little. Also, even though Paifu and his friends can
more-or-less hold their own in a scuffle (they are monsters after all)
Makoleen’s background as a world-class sumo champion gives Toriyama plenty of
excuses to revert back to the rather simplistic, fight-oriented storytelling
for which he’s best known. And while the middle act of the series quickly
escalates to a series of kung fu matches that may have some Dragon Ball critics rolling their eyes,
these physical confrontations are entertaining enough so they don’t feel as
contrived or formulaic as they should.
From a formal perspective, Cowa! provides a couple different
aesthetic idiosyncrasies that set it apart from just any run-of-the-mill manga.
Behind the front cover, readers are treated to an unusual sight within the
pages of a manga tankobon: color. While it’s not unheard of for certain
chapters of a manga to be colored in their original publication, they’re rarely
presented that way once collected into the cheaper black-and-white volumes. Yet
as cool as it is to be treated to some color in the typically colorless world
of manga, the fact the these color pages are printed on a matte paper stock and
not a glossier finish means the colors lose some of the pop and vibrancy they
may have had in their original form. But the good news is only the first
chapter is in color, and it doesn’t take long to get re-acquainted with the
traditional black-and-white art work.
As for the drawings themselves,
readers of Toriyama’s other work may be taken surprise by the hyper-simplified
art style he uses in this series. There’s little-if-any cross-hatching, the
character designs are cartoonishly simple and devoid of any unnecessary
detail—all of which helps to give a sense of childishness to the series. But
this simpler style never comes across as artistic corner-cutting, but rather a
stylistic decision that only enhances the innocent nature of the story. And
while the overall storybook approach means far more panels per page than
readers may expect from their typically decompressed manga, Toriyama’s
uncomplicated drawings and breezy storytelling prevent the reading experience
from ever feeling cramped or tedious.
If there’s ever any question as to
why Akira Toriyama is such a monumentally successful manga creator, Cowa! is as good an answer an any.
Simple but powerful archetypal storytelling that never lets itself get bogged
down in meandering exposition or pretentious world-building—the sense of fun,
the love of art and storytelling that bounces off of every page… And as
interesting a place as Batwing Ridge may be, as with any Toriyama comic it’s
less about what’s being told and
always about how it’s being told. And
Cowa! is told in such fun way that,
well, you’d have to be a downright monster not to enjoy it.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Monday, October 7, 2019
Monday, December 17, 2018
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