Caravan Kidd

	Writer/Artist:	Johji Manabe
	Publisher:	Dark Horse Comics, Inc. / Studio Proteus
	Published:	July 1992 - December 1994
	Genre:	Action / adventure
	Series Length:	28 issues + 2 specials
	Available as:	3 TPB set. All the comics should be obtainable if you look hard.
	Notes:

Ah, Johji's at it again. More broads and swords, wimpy men and squashy, blobby alien things. Then again, what else do you expect? Many complain about his cookie-cutter plots and characters, but who cares? Manabe's outrageous retro sci-fi epics are great fun - action, intrigue, violence, romance, adventure, blobby alien things, chicks with swords, blokes without spines; all that is required to shut down the brain so you can just enjoy the ride.

At a pinch:

Thief Wataru and squishy, blobby alien fence Babo find themselves unwitting and unwilling companions to sword wielding, fire-breathing (figuratively, of course) outlaw Main Toris. This is all very well, but unfortunately for our pair, everywhere she goes, there goes the army of the Helgebard empire with orders to capture Mian and her 'accomplices' (and generally blow stuff up). Mian, fingered out as the bringer of Doomsday and with a six million D.D. bounty on her head, travels towards Kuraweil Keep with her two 'pets' to fulfil a mission of which only she and the Empress know the consequences. Will anyone survive, once the big crunch comes? Why is Mian so important to the Empress Shion? Why does she not tell Wataru anything about herself and her journey to Kuraweil Keep at the heart of the Empire? Will Babo ever shut up about money? Will Wataru get just a little peek ("at what?", you ask. Heh, heh.)?

Commentary:

How could I say anything negative about Caravan Kidd? I would still love Manabe's comics even if they were about stamp collecting. He eschews the common 'heads, shoulders and white space' approach of many manga artists in favour of a denser, background heavy layout, full of impressively big spaceships, funny looking aliens and familiar city-scapes. As ever, the line art is precise, the screentone copious and well used and the shading dense and effectively ominous.

Manabe's overall comic style (artwork, story settings, etc.) borrow much from the master of space-opera manga, Leiji Matsumoto. However, Caravan Kidd tends to be easier on the eyes and brain, as the art is cleaner and the story uncomplicated, when compared to a classic Matsumoto tale like Galaxy Express 999.

In short, if you are the sort of person who watches Star Wars religiously, reads just far too much science-fiction and liked Outlanders, then you'll like this. If you are looking for a more intellectual story, try the above-mentioned G.E. 999, but read this when you just want a good laugh.

Quotable:

Last word:

Worthy of it's place next to Outlanders on my shelf, Caravan Kidd, whilst lacking the epic grandeur of it's predecessor, is good, clean (strangely for Manabe) fun. Great artwork, coupled with a reasonably steady story and executed with the traditional Katsudon flair, I recommend Caravan Kidd to anyone who enjoyed Outlanders and can't wait to read some more high quality sci-fi comic pulp (there just isn't enough to satisfy this little boy). Don't forget to look out for cameos by Manabe's Outlanders cast and the many special appearances by the author and his staff throughout the comics.

Other cool places to go:

Dark Horse Comics, Inc.
Studio Proteus

Further information:

Caravan Kidd ©1992 Johji Manabe & Studio Katsudon / Studio Proteus / Dark Horse Comics, Inc.