Jappa’s Galactic Environmental Superhero
Bruce Von Stiers
There is this guy named Anthony Jappa. He is a graphic novelist. Jappa had an idea for a science fiction action adventure series. The series would be centered on a young scientifically engineered astronaut named Koji Kanna, otherwise known as JiroBoy.
So what does an enterprising graphic artist do? Well, Jappa set up his own publishing company, calling it Jappa Publications. With this company he has introduced the world to his futuristic hero in the first of a four volume series called JiroBoy The Mechnorganic Kid. Actually, that is the series heading. The real name for this first book is Solargeddon Volume 1.
The plot line for the book goes something like this. Devastating solar matter is being spewed about the universe. This was caused by something called a solar serpent. The serpent must be stopped and destroyed before the entire universe is.
Into the story steps young galactic astronaut and adventurer Commander Koji Kanna. He is more than ready to battle this galactic menace. He will use his J.I.R.O. tech armor, hence the namesake JiroBoy.
The front pages and panels of the book serve as kind of a prelude and are a mixture of still photos and drawings. Using the photos kind of give a stark realism to the story.
The reader first meets JiroBoy as he is trying to get samples from a worm colony. Obtaining a sample and not becoming worm food seems to be a priority. He has a couple of tech shipmates, a semi sultry feline like being called Nimbi and Egi, a databot.
But it seems that Koji is not in the good graces of the people in power back home. They sent him out into the universe to find solutions to a dying earth. But not as a roving one man arsenal, helping other planets rout out bad guys.
Thrown into the mix is a group of scientists who have been brought together to solve the universe’s problems. Several of these scientists are on a ship checking out the solar serpents. That plot thread is intertwined with JiroBoy’s all through the book.
The drawing of the characters is consistent. Koji is drawn with tight muscles and a 70’s styled afro hairdo. Nimbi is svelte, with feline ears and a fitness model’s physique. Egi kind of reminds me of something out of Megaman. The other characters are well drawn and there is plenty of action by way of physical contact and large written sound effects. I forgot to mention this earlier but the book was drawn and published with black ink only. Only the book’s cover was done in color.
For a first effort, this was a pretty good start. The environmental aspect of the story will appeal to naturalists and the both the action/adventure and science fiction aspects will appeal to those types of graphic novel fans. The drawing is nicely done and the storyline is pretty consistent.
JiroBoy is the first of many graphic novels that Anthony Jappa has put together. To find out more about the series and other works by Jappa, visit www.jappapublications.com. You can also order a copy of the book through the site.
© 2011 Bruce E Von Stiers