Story by Yumemakura Baku, Art by Jiro Taniguchu
Fanfare/Ponent Mon, 328 pp
Rating: Not Rated

After witnessing a horrific failed attempt to climb Everest, photographer Makoto Fukamachi splits from the expedition and chooses to stay in Kathmandu after the others have returned to Japan. While wandering about the city, he stumbles across a store carrying an old camera that he suspects belonged the famous mountaineer, George Mallory. His investigation into whether it actually is said camera leads him deep into the world of Japanese mountaineering, and into the life of the famed and mysterious Jouji Habu.

The story starts off very slowly but drew me in quickly; by the end I was wishing I had copies of the rest of the series. Through Fukamachi, Baku and Taniguchi introduce us to the intense and troubled mountaineering legend, Jouji Habu. The tale that ensues is less about the camera and more about the history of Habu and his various accomplishments, failures and troubles. Related heavily through flashback and secondhand stories of witnesses and old friends, we’re painted a portrait of a determined yet haunted man, desperate to make his mark in the world and prove his sense of worth to himself. Clearly, despite his physical strength and even mental strength, at his heart Habu is a fragile man clinging desperately to his accomplishments who rises to defend them when threatened by an upcoming climber by the name of Tsuneo Hase.

The art is generally lovely to look at, though I’m honestly a bit reluctant to praise or criticize it too heavily due to the fact that I’m reviewing a .pdf copy. For the most part, it’s very good, with fantastic-looking mountain climbing shots and images of the various cliff faces and more. Taniguchi handles the urban scenes just as well, giving us a cluttered and messy version of Kathmandu and a more sedate yet urban Tokyo as well. His characters are wonderfully rendered with no two characters looking alike. Habu really shines; from the first minute he appears Taniguchi renders him in such a way that it’s clear that he’s lived and has a storied past. Taniguchi pays a lot of attention to the characters eyes and whether it’s the intense burning stare of the square-jawed Habu or the haunted ennui present in Fukamachi’s gaze early in the story, he is able to convey the character’s mindset through them wonderfully.

It’s a fantastic read and not something I really expected to enjoy as much as I did. I’m definitely hooked and I’m dying to find out how Habu went from climbing genius to where he is now, not to mention the lingering question of whether the camera’s what Fukamachi thinks it is. It’s not an action-packed thrill ride, but it is a damn good read.

Volume one The Summit of the Gods will be available Fall 2009.