I am a Hero Omnibus Volume 1 (I Am a Hero, 1)

‘I am a Hero’ omnibus volume one contains the first two Japanese collected editions of Hanazawa Kengo’s zombie horror Comic. Started in 2009 it is currently still running with a total of 20 collected volumes in print in its native country. ‘I am a Hero’ is not only the most refreshing piece of zombie fiction I have come across since ‘Shaun of the dead’ it is one of the most unique pieces of fiction I have read in a long time. The zombie story in itself is nothing new, where Hanazawa breaks new ground is with his main character Hideo Suzuki. Suzuki is a washed up Mangaka who has had to take a job as an assistant artist after his first serialized series ‘uncut Penis’ was cancelled. Suzuki is a veritable smorgasbord board of neurosis, he has low self-esteem, anxiety, social awkwardness, OCD, and irrational fears. On top of this he has an imaginary friend called Yajima that manifests in the form of a small boy, as well as talking to Yajima Suzuki often see’s evil demons trying to attack him when he is alone, and fantasizes about how conversations would go with his colleagues at work; which are presented as actually taking place the illusion is only shattered when his colleagues ask him to stop talking to himself. The power of this book is in the fact that Hanazawa takes his time about everything, fully drawing all the minutia of Suzuki’s life, and adding all his delusions to the comic as if they were real. An example of this is the opening chapter where we see Suzuki open all the locks on his door, and then locking them, then we see him talking to Yajima before his apartment is invaded by imagined evil demons, so Suzuki creates a circle of protection using his books and then gets out his ultimate Talisman, the thing that will set him out from the crowd during the zombie outbreak; a shotgun. In a country with virtually no privately owned firearms Suzuki is one of those few that owns a licence for sports shooting. In another writers hands this series would probably be paced like a Shonen strip, but Hanazawa isn’t in a hurry to get into the action; he builds the stories world slowly, taking the same approach to the narrative as he does to Suzuki’s actions. The first zombie doesn’t make an appearance until halfway through the book. Which in the original format would be the end of book one. This means that we are given ample time to fully immerse ourselves in Suzuki’s life, his relationship with his girlfriend, and his colleagues, his neurosis and hopes for his future. While we are following Suzuki’s closed world in the background people start to go off work ill, there is mention of a flu epidemic, and other odd events. By pushing the outbreak to the background and concentrating on characters as opposed to events the inevitable arrival of the zombies and the destruction they bring becomes all the more heart-breaking because as a reader you’ve become fully invested in Suzuki’s normal day to day life. The second half of the book or the original book two is devoted to Suzuki’s first encounters with the zombies and his frantic escape through the city in search of safety. The interesting thing about this is that mixed in with post-apocalyptic scenarios such as planes dropping out the air, and zombies attacking people on the streets there are still people who are unaware that the world is falling apart around them, as Suzuki is being chased down by flesh eating monsters he passes old ladies walking their dogs or commuters just sat on the train on their way to work totally unaware of what’s happening. This is one of the best depictions of real life I have seen; there is all at once drama and a total lack of drama. The zombies themselves are reminiscent of the violent angry type found in the ‘Dawn of the Dead’ remake however in a new twist they are also agile contortionists who are able to use their feet as hands. Appearance wise they resemble something that would be hatched from the mind of Ito Junji. I was particularly reminded of the corpses in Gyo. Deformed, sometimes engorged with rotting maggot filled flesh and crooked deformed bodies bent at impossible angles. The only downside to this book that I could find is the format. This is a 512 page book which in its self is excellent value for money, however as a careful reader who is unwilling to crack the spine of a book I found it difficult to take in the full glory of the splash pages, my unwillingness to bend the book fully open meant that the fold in the book would distort the art work. However this is not a major problem because I would not be willing to sacrifice the size of this book just to remedy this minor gripe. I can’t predict how this series is going to progress and whether it stays this inventive and entertaining for the next 20 books, however with a start this strong I am in this one for the long-haul. I can’t wait for book 2. My advice would be to put down that copy of Attack on Titan and give a truly deep and creative series like this a go instead, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Son loves his anime, really enjoying reading this book.

So funny, actually out loud, which is unusual for me when reading. Has some moments which remind me of Peter Jackson's 'Bad taste' type humor- which is the best I can describe it.

Not just the best zombie manga, but the best zombie story i have ever experienced.

Loved it!

Taking place in the, surprisingly underused, most interesting part of the zombie apocalypse - the moments immediately before and during everything going to s*** - this book is a surprisingly fresh take on the genre. Seeing everything unfold through a different culture also makes it a good read, although the beginning could be a bit of a struggle for non manga readers because of it: in particular untranslated foods, honorifics, and a Buddhist chant that don't make immediate sense without knowing cultural context (and, for me, it was surprisingly off-putting reading from right to left after decades of muscle memory). One thing it is helpful to know before beginning is that Hideo, the protagonist, is pretty messed up before the apocalypse even starts so take him as an unreliable narrator to avoid confusion. There is a Translator's Notes section at the back(front) but that's no substitute for fully knowing what's going on as you read it. The characters are extremely well designed and the art in general is life-like and gorgeous, although it may be hard to appreciate because this book is physically MUCH smaller than I would expect (see picture) so make sure you know what to expect when you buy. There are a couple of occasions where this is annoying, like seeing a corpse on one page and not knowing for sure who it is until much later and the (otherwise brilliant) series of 2 page spreads mentioned in the product description is much detracted from having the huge spine indent obscuring the middle of the images (which would be much less noticeable in a larger book). Other than that I'd recommend it and will be getting the next omnibus along with the third when it comes out.

Love this series!

Do yourself a favor and buy it.

I decided to pick this up on a whim. I'm not the biggest manga reader I only read Junji Ito and sometimes Bezerk. I do love zombies though and I have to say I'm glad I picked this up. The manga is about Hideo Suzuki. He's a manga artist who years ago had a serialized manga in a magazine that was decently popular and then after that nothing. He works in a office as a assistant artist with 4 others adding shadows, adding details, censoring nudity, basically fine tuning other more popular mangas. He's 35, awkward, sick of being in debt, has phobias, talks to himself, and wants more out of life. He wants to make a manga that will be read for hundreds of years. Then suddenly a zombie outbreak happens and he needs to survive. In volume 1 of the series it's mostly about Hideo's life pre outbreak. You follow him to his job, see his paranoid delusions, you see how his Co workers get annoyed/creeped out by him talking to himself, his relationship with his girlfriend and etc etc. I enjoyed it but I know a lot of people didn't. For almost half the book there really isn't a lot happening in terms of zombies. There are some things happening in the background, news reports hint at the zombie outbreak and stuff like that but for the first half it's just about Hideo and his life. When the zombies do appear it's a pretty fun adventure that unfortunately gets cuts a little too short since it's a little past the halfway point of the of the volume. I know people have issues with this volume I read people stopped reading it because they were bored but I really enjoyed it. I liked Hideo and his odd ways. I found him a little fascinating but once again I know I am in the minority. I will say the zombies are creepy and aren't the traditional zombies. They run and seem to be able to speak. They mutter about their previous lives. Like for example a mailman would maybe say "delivery is here" over and over again while eating a person or wandering around. The way the zombies attack and move is creepy as well. They seem to use all 4 limbs to crawl, attack, defend themselves and etc. They also seem to attack each other as well. It's a interesting take on zombies. Also I have to say the art is pretty amazing. I read that the artist takes pictures and draws the pictures into the comic and the attention to detail in some panels is amazing. You really get the sense of scale in some scenes. Overall yes this particular volume is slow but I found it pretty enjoyable. I bought volumes 2-4 when I was almost halfway through it because I was enjoying it and it's a good semi different take on the zombies. I never saw zombies so werid and I never saw a protagonist so just not in charge.

Arrived the next day (always super appreciative of that) and I am stoked to dig in. The pages themselves are in great condition. The cover arrived with a slight crease along the top and two of the corners (both frontal) have super-slight bending/peeling. It's not a deal breaker for me but if it was more extreme, I'd return it. That being said - it's always a risk when having softcover books or other items delivered and it's not the fault of the seller necessarily (trusting it isn't anyway). In any event, I've heard a lot of great things about the story so I'm eager to start reading this evening. So far I'm impressed with my purchase since it was fast, in relatively decent condition, and for the price - I'm not complaining.

Entrega rápida e em boas condições. Quanto ao mangá, é excelente! Recomendo vivamente.

Book is a 💎

This was a fantastic read that I'm looking forward to the next installment. I am a Hero explores the life of a failing manga artist named Hideo in his mid-30's as the zombie apocalypse slowly unfolds around him. Plagued by feelings of inadequacies both socially and in his career, trapped in a complicated yet abusive mixed relationship under his overbearing girlfriend, and conflicted with deep set fears and hallucinations that leave Hideo questioning the reality revealing itself around him during the initial zombie apocalypse makes this series a dark page turner. Is it real? Is he hallucinating? Sometimes it's hard to tell and some readers may find the initial first half slow at first as you explore his mundane life before the action starts to gather full force but the second half explodes in chaos as the infection rises. The story unfolds slowly much like Fear the Walking Dead where the main threat, the zombies, don't appear until much later in this volume but it's the gradual reveal of Hideo's disillusionment and frustrations feeling like the side character in his own life story that flesh out the quiet desperation of the main character to find some sort of meaning or semblance of being a hero, albeit a reluctant one in the zombie apocalypse, that freshens this graphic novel. The art itself is dark, gritty, and often times painful in its details. This isn't High School of the Dead so there isn't gratuitous fan service or overtly cute girls with large breasts and daddy issues. The realism in this initial installment with Hideo as the greatest loser in his own story makes for a different journey than most manga. There is no harem of magical girls, chibi levels of extreme emotional expression, or adorable mascots. It's dark, it's sad, and it's completely and wholly depressing.