365 Days of Manga, Day 146: Nestrobber

NESTROBBER • Jo Duffy (story), Maya Sakamoto (art) • Blue Sky Blue (1992-1994) • 2 issues • Science Fiction Action • Unrated/All Ages (violence)
Unfinished action-espionage series, drawn by a Japanese artist and written by early manga fan and ex-Marvel editor Jo Duffy, who worked on the original Epic edition of Akira. In the first issue the “Birds of Prey,” a commando team of special operatives, attempt to prevent a nuclear explosion; the second issue jumps forward 17 years for incidental comedy and what appears to be the beginning of a possibly sci-fi story arc about the children they left behind, but based on this fragment, Duffy’s intentions for the story are inscrutable. The faintly Akimi Yoshida-like art is diligent but amateurish. A related short story was published in Dark Horse Presents #67-69.

Talk about an obscure manga… although, since it’s a work created for the U.S. market by an American and a Japanese creator, many people wouldn’t consider it a “manga” at all. I love ambitious comic/manga projects, and I have a lot of sympathy for unfinished ones which never got off the ground for whatever reason, but “Nestrobber” is just too fragmentary to stand up on its own even as a piece of “what might have been.” It’s interesting how the art looks a tiny bit like Scott McCloud’s early work. Did I mention that Jo Duffy was one of the rewriters on the VIZ edition of the Naruto manga?
Today’s winner is Tracey D. of Maryland! The other day I also received a picture from Kathleen, one of the winners of the “Tell Me About Your Character” contest at kingofrpgs.com!

Kathleen chose the yaoi prize batch, and in her own words: “I think when your yaoi castle is attacked, the proper response is ‘Man the fornications!’ XD ” Kathleen also participated in the suvudu live chat RPG as Sardinha the lizardwoman. It was awesome playing with you, Kathleen! Hope you enjoy your yaoi manga, and happy reading and gaming!