Kaneko Atsushi is one of my favorite comic creators in any language. He's becoming known for [BAMBi And Her Pink Gun] in the US, but his latest series is [SOIL], now being serialized in Japan, in the monthly [Comic Beam] magazine.

[SOIL] Volume 7, the latest collection of his serialized manga novel, was released in Japan on 5.26.2008, and it's just more of the same greatness. It juxtaposes "typical" life in a smallish town, with a growing mystery that threatens to engulf all normalcy. Science fiction and fantasy meet a grounded exploration of the hopes, quirks and fears of a population, as they try to discover just what seems to be corrupting their way of life.

It has vortexes, people acting all crazy, a fair amount of blood, broad slapstick humor, and more, all rendered in that Kaneko Atsushi style that simply can't be beat. The story has really solidified over the past few volumes, and it's quite satisfying. You might as well import and appreciate now, or else wait many years to see it translated. Either way, we all win.

Feel free to find out much more about the work of Kaneko Atsushi at my fan site now.

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