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Ok, so as an American, Adam Warren doesn't technically qualify as a genuine manga artist, but neither do alot of manga-derived artists in Japan, either. Anyway, since his big debut miniseries, The Dirty Pair (a new take of a popular anime series with a porno-esque title), Warren has established himself as the biggest mainstream artist to use the manga style. Don't confuse him with manga-influenced creators such as J. Scott Campbell or Joe Mad. Warren is one of the few artists who has succesfully integrated his art into American comics without losing its manga flair. Equipped with big eyes, colorful hair, and lots of action lines, Warren's characters are a culmination of his years of otaku (the manga/anime equivalent of a fanboy) geekdom. I don't say this as an insult. It's true, and he knows it.
If you're not a fan of Hong Kong cinema (kung-fu flicks, John Woo, etc.), there's not much in Gen13: Grunge the Movie for you besides the art. Warren simply has Grunge sharing some film aspirations to Roxy, elaborating on movie sequence after movie sequence full of gun antics, kung-fu moves, and ridiculous subtitles. If you're into this sort of thing (like myself), you'll find it pretty funny, though not exactly side-splitting.
The Good: Great art, a very good (if not the best) integration of manga into American comics.
The Bad: Lots of Hong Kong cinema jokes, some are subtle, some are stupid.
The Lo' Down: Some stuff will go over your head, but it's obviously written for a certain audience. What can I say?
Jonathan Sukarangsan
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