Manga & Anime Comics

Written by Keith R. A. DeCandido, Art by Heinz Furukawa
Tokyopop, 192 pp.
Rating: OT (16 +)

Spun out of the game and novel franchise, Starcraft: Ghost Academy is the tale of Nova, Lio, Kath and Tosh—four cadets collectively known as Blue Squad—as they undergo training at the Ghost Academy, the training facility for an elite branch of psychic military officers known as Ghosts. for fans of the Starcraft franchise, particularly the novels, there might be quite a bit to enjoy—Nova has previously appeared as the star of a novel, also written by Keith R. A. DeCandido, and this graphic novel fleshes out her background a bit, dealing with her time in training—but newcomers need not be intimidated, as this is a fairly good introduction to the Starcraft universe.

Ghost Academy is a pretty straightforward read, focusing on Nova and her squad's problems as they attempt to overcome individual differences and function as a single unit. While Nova is featured prominently on the cover, and the volume apparently fills in a portion of her past, there's really more of an ensemble feel to the book. Each member of the squad has their own backstory, conflicts and arcs throughout the book and each is given a fair amount of space within the story. for example, the hyperactive Lio has a prominent arc involving some personal demons, and a fair amount of time is given over to his tale. just about every member of Blue Squad gets a moment like this, and in several cases these moments set up plots that will probably play out over subsequent volumes of the series. That's actually one of the things I liked about this book, the way DeCandido manages to give us a complete story in one volume while seeding lots of little mysteries and plot threads to explore later. these range from personal problems for Kath and her family to questions about the full extent and true purpose of the Ghost Academy's programs and what's it doing to those involved with it.

While hopping into a full-blown franchise can be a bit intimidating at times, I found Ghost Academy to be an accessible read; DeCandido gives us a glimpse at the overall state of the Starcraft universe via Blue Squad's back stories, some of the classes they attend, and a short introduction which is also used to set up the controversial nature of the Ghost Academy itself and the way in which psychics are essentially drafted into its service.

Personally, I feel that Furukawa's artwork is solid but unspectacular. He gives everyone a unique appearance beyond just their hair or clothing—everyone has a distinctive face and body types vary quite a bit. Too often in comics and manga characters are given stock body types and even facial features as artists rely on costumes or crazy hair to distinguish characters, so kudos for the time and effort that went into these designs. Also, the few combat sequences are well done, particularly the hand-to-hand combat scenes which feel a bit more grounded than the fight scenes in most manga or comics.

That said, there's something about the art that doesn't quite click with me. it almost feels like it's lacking a little something. an extra little kick, perhaps? It's really a bit hard to put my finger on what exactly I didn't like about the artwork, but there's definitely something there that kept me from loving it. it could just come down to personal preferences, though.

I'm a complete novice to the Starcraft world, this was quite literally the first thing I've ever read or seen regarding it outside of being aware of its existence as a Blizzard game. Despite this I never really felt lost or adrift during the book, so it's definitely newcomer-friendly. It's a good, entertaining read, but I wasn't really blown away by it.

Volume one of Starcraft: Ghost Academy is available now.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Manga Recon » Blog Archive » Starcraft: Ghost Academy, Vol. 1

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