The Anime Nostalgia Facility UK: Masamune Shirow

Appleseed. Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow.

Eclipse Comics with Studio Proteus published 19 issues in a bi-monthly format spanning the 4 original books, from September 1988 to August 1991 .

Cover art for the monthly issues for book 2 was Art Adams and book 3 was done by American illustrator Adam Warren.

The manga was originally published between 1985 and 1989 by Seishinsha.

[Note: As at the time of this post I am unable to find My own issues of Appleseed Book 3 #1, #2, #3 (August, September, October 1989) Published by Eclipse, in which I believe the 'Letters page' had printed American Anime\Manga Fan Club addresses. Thus started my journey in to Fandom, but as you can see I did import the original Manga at that time.]
[Note: now have Appleseed Book 3 #2 read on.]

Shirow's artwork just blew me away, the attention to detail in the city-scape, the futuristic designs of vehicles, cyborgs, and power-armour were so fresh in the 1980's, and add to this the storyline of newcomers to the utopian city-state of Olympus, Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires who join the city's law enforcement’s ESWAT (Extra Special Weapons And Tactics) division.

What follows is the relationship between Deunan and Briareos as they rely on each other as they take on the political underworld and powerful criminals of this veneer of a utopia where over 50% of the population is bio-engineered!

You can just see how this Japanese Cyberpunk manga became award-winning!

[Note: Volume titles are - Book 1. Prometheus Challenge, Book 2. Prometheus Unbound, Book 3. Scales of Prometheus, Book 4. Prometheus Balance.]

[UPDATE: Collection of issues 1 to 19 now complete.]

[NOTE: APPLESEED LOGO designed by Tom Orzechowski (for the American reader).]

Appleseed.

Book ONE Issues 1 to 5.

BOOK ONE Cover Art by; Masamune Shirow. (issues 1 to 5)

Appleseed.

Book TWO Issues 1 to 5.

BOOK TWO Cover Art by; Arthur Adams (issues 1 to 5)

Appleseed.

Book THREE Issues 1 to 5.

BOOK THREE Cover Art by; Adam Warren (issues 1 to 5)

Appleseed.

Book FOUR Issues 1 to 4.

BOOK ONE Cover Art by; Masamune Shirow. (issues 1 to 4)

APPLESEED (Eclipse) Volumes One to Three.

APPLESEED (Dark Horse) Volumes One to Four.

BOOK TOUR Cover Art by;

APPLESEED (MangaUK) Volume One (no other volumes printed).

Other works by Masamune Shirow.;

DOMINION

Dominion. Written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. Published by Eclipse International & Studio Proteus in 6 issues in a Monthly format from December 1989 to May 1990. The manga was originally published by Hakusensha 1986.

We follow our heroin Leona Ozaki in her day to day job, protecting the citizens of the megalopolis, a city engulfed in a deadly bacterial smog (were the mask you wear saves your life!), and crime is dealt with the deadly force of the Tank S.W.A.T. Police (urban pacification that is outrageous!). In this futuristic world of bio-technology & cyber-technolgy and the use of tanks in a city Leona a girl who loves her little tank (named Bonaparte) struggles to be taken seriously as the male members of the Tank S.W.A.T. Police have the much bigger military tanks!

Shirow is know for his meta detailed city landscapes and cybernetics tech illustrations to flesh out his Worlds, and added to this is a wit and humour of the absurd with depiction of SD characters (super deformed – an art style).
A highly enjoyable Science Fiction comedy!

[Note. Like so many translated manga of its time only a short number of issues where produced to show the verity and style form Japan, and then where gone! Easily missed at your local comic-book store.]

[Note. So popular was this series that over the years, 3 sets of OVAs have been animated (Dominion Tank Police, New Dominion Tank, and TANK S.W.A.T. 01).]

[Note. Masamune Shirow is best known in the West by his seminal work “Appleseed”.]