Title: Trigun Maximum Volume(s): 10+ Creator(s): Yasuhiro Nightow Format: Unflipped; Right-to-Left Publisher: Dark Horse MSRP: $9.95 Genre(s): Sci-Fi/Action Rated: Teen (13+)

"Trigun Maximum" is not a sequel to "Trigun." Seriously, it's not. No, "Trigun Maximum" is the same series as "Trigun." Same story, different name. "Trigun" would have been named "Trigun" forever, except that the magazine "Trigun" was being published in got cancelled, so Yasuhiro Nightow had to continue the story in another manga magazine. However, since Nightow's first publisher owned the copyright to the name "Trigun," Nightow was forced to continue his series as "Trigun Maximum." So for those of you who were hoping that this would be a new series, I hate to tell you the bad news (or good news, depends on who you are), but this is, in fact, the same series that we all know and love (or hate): "Trigun." The only difference between the two series is that the books are smaller now. Because this isn't a new series, I won't describe the story so there are no spoilers here, but I will say that even though "Trigun Maximum" is the same series, it appears that Nightow took the criticism he got with his first installment of the series VERY seriously, and has improved the series dramatically! From the pacing, to the character development, to the artwork, everything about "Trigun Maximum" is a HUGE leap forward for the series!

One of the biggest complaints that "Trigun" got was the fact that most people (myself included) were not that impressed with the artwork for the series. The artwork lacked detail, the characters didn't look unique, edges were extremely rough, and so much more. The artwork in "Trigun Maximum," however, looks less edgy and more polished in these new books, and the characters have started to look unique. In fact, I think the artwork has graduated from "edgy and ugly" and evolved enough to become its own style that can match toes with other series with unique artwork. The artwork in "Trigun Maximum" looks part gothic, it uses great detail only when needed, and the characters’ expressions are more expressive, too. In fact, after I really studied the art a bit more, I realized that the artwork is actually a character in itself. Very unique, very different, and very memorable. The characters are also very deep and three-dimensional, making them very likable (or easy to hate). And of course the series’s heart and soul lies in the troubled gunman Vash the Stampede. Vash is (of course) a man who has the best gun-shooting skills in the whole world, yet he has a heart of gold, and has sworn to live his life living for love and peace (despite the fact that his very presence causes more trouble then anything). Vash is easily one of the most likable characters ever created, and one of the most shining characters to ever hit manga. However, I must confess that I also have a soft spot in my heart for the evil Legatto, who brings a new meaning to the word evil, and is just as complicated a character as Vash sometimes.

The story in "Trigun Maximum" has also taken a much darker turn from the humorous, adventurous personality of the first series, and is now more grim and mature than when it first started out in "Trigun." Not that there aren't any comedic moments in this series, mind you (as there are moments of laughter and hope that are sprinkled around here and there), but the overall tone is much darker and somber than the first series, and I know there will be some people who will miss the comedic style of storytelling "Trigun" had to offer. Concerning the books themselves, the page count of "Trigun Maximum" is going to disappoint quite a few people. While the books are $5 cheaper than the "Trigun" books, they are also about 150 pages shorter, and many people will be a little saddened that the page count was cut. It's something that fans can easily get over, but we all know how spoiled manga fans can be sometimes. Another downside of this release (and one that should have been fixed by now) is that Dark Horse STILL seems to have trouble figuring out what to do with the sound effects in the series (which are, sadly, still better drawn than most of the backgrounds are). This means that all the sound effects are still untranslated! Come on, Dark Horse, do you have any idea how annoying it is to have a two-page spread action piece, where the two guys are doing all this crazy stuff, with the sound effects actually being drawn all around them, and not be able to even READ them?!

What's sad is that there are no subtitles for the sound effects or even so much as a glossary at the back of the book. Dark Horse made a glossary for the sound effects in the second volume of "Trigun," so I don't know why they didn't include one here. I guess if you want to know what the sound effects are, the only way you're going to find out is to learn Japanese. I know Dark Horse has gotten a lot of complaints about this issue so I'm going to hammer on it for a little while longer. Dark Horse, here's some food for thought: when I buy an English translated manga, then I fully expect to get a FULLY translated manga! By NOT translating the sound effects, you aren't giving me what I paid for, and if you continue to abuse the stuff I buy, then I may just stop buying your incomplete products! Dark Horse, it's no secret that you need to work on this situation, for the fans if not for your own reputation as a book publisher. All in all, despite "Trigun Maximum" not really being a new series, these new books do fix a lot of the problems the original "Trigun" series had, and manage to turn the originally ugly artwork into a unique style, and the characters just continue to get more interesting. It's EXTREMELY disappointing that Dark Horse still refuses to translate the darn sound effects, but overall "Trigun Maximum" is worth checking out even if you weren't too impressed with the first "Trigun" series!

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -