Last night I sat down with the final volume of Battle Angel Alita and hooooooolly crap! This had to have been one of the most ridiculously over-the-top comics I have read is a long time. Perhaps ever! What do you have to say about it, Alita?

Damn straight. In fact, pretty much everything in this book is beyond supersonic. Everything–drama, violence, gore, fan service and giant robots–is cranked all the way up to eleven in this book. It is a masterpiece of the art form. Next time someone wants a recommendation of manga to try out, I will slap them in the face with a copy of Battle Angel Alita, vol 9. At which point the book itself will shoot the reader in the face and wail on a guitar.

Lately, most of the posts on this blog have taken the form of snarky plot synopses with funny panels. I cannot possibly do that with this book as I wish not to deprive anyone of the monumental joy of reading this book. If you have not read the first eight volumes of Battle Angel, get started now. Unlike Deathnote, this is one manga worth seeing to the end.

Okay, not everything is awesome about this book. The last few chapters are a bit out of place and they somehow make less sense than the whole of Ghost in the Shell. Luckily, the new series Battle Angel Alita: Last Order pretty much cuts out all the bad stuff and picks up while things were still rocking.

Battle Angel was the first manga I picked up when I was a kid and it has remained my favorite. This final volume will have it holding that title for a long, long time. Yukito Kishiro is a master storyteller and his artwork is always top-notch. Take these three simple panels for example. I can’t think of any other artist who can render so much expression and power in the simple opening of a character’s eyes.

You have been warned! Read Battle Angel Alita, vol 9 before it hunts you down and kills your family.

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of cranking things up to eleven, please allow David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap to explain.