Golgo 13, Vols. 1- 6

Created by Takao Saito
Published by Viz
Rating: Mature (18+)

For almost 40 years, Japanese readers have enjoyed the ongoing exploits of the world’s greatest assassin, Duke Togo, a.k.a. Golgo 13. Thanks to Viz, American audiences now get their chance to read some of the best stories from one of Japan’s longest running seinen manga. The first six volumes (of a planned 13) include material from the series’ entire run. The stories take place in eras ranging from the 1960s to the late 1990s in such diverse locations as Corsica, South Africa, China, and even outer space.

Art-wise, Golgo 13 looks very dated, which will be an immediate turn off for many. Saito’s original designs form the basis for the look and feel of the series, and while he may not be penciling Golgo 13 anymore, his fingerprints remain.The art style hasn’t changed much from the early days of the series, with concessions made mostly for fashion, automobiles, cities, and the like. The detailed faces, page layouts, and figure work haven’t changed much at all, meaning that even the more recent stories look amazingly similiar to the older ones. It’s a nice touch that gives the series a sense of consistancy, but it does leave the artwork with a dated feel to it. It lacks the stylized hair, stripped down faces, and stereotypical “big eyes, small mouth” that some associate with modern manga. On the upside, the character designs are distinctive with most of the characters getting their own individual facial features, often times reflecting the ethnic makeup of the many regions that Duke Tago visits. This attention to facial detail also helps in recreating famous faces, which is good, considering how many real-world figures—President Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Princess Di—turn up.

The stories themselves are stand-alone tales from various points in Golgo 13’s history; the only thing linking them is Duke Togo himself. At first, the episodic nature of the series might seem like a drawback. After all, how many times can you watch someone get hired, prepare for, and execute his mission with no overarching point or plot line? Thankfully there’s a bit more variation than that formula might suggest. Most of the stories in these first six volumes turn the camera away from Duke Togo towards the people involved in his missions, the people who hire him, and his targets, exploring their individual motivations and desires along the way. Still, due to the heavy emphasis on politics and conspiracies, the stories can be a bit plot heavy at times.

If you’re looking for depth of character, then this series isn’t for you. Even when we do get to see more of Togo, he remains a cipher, with his inscrutable eyes, stern look, and emotions held in check. If you’re wondering about the appeal of a series like this, well, it may help to think of each story as a James Bond movie. James Bond appeared in all of them, but how much do we actually know about him? Up until last year, we didn’t even know how he got into the spy game, but that didn’t diminish the fun of viewing the previous thirty years of 007 action. The same holds true for Golgo 13.

On the other hand, if you are curious about Togo’s origins and motivations, then the back material will be your best friend. In addition to the two main featured stories, each volume includes a “G13 File.” These “files” collects various tidbits of information about Togo from his forty-year history and puts it into a report-like form. And what a dossier it is! The files include psych evaluations, possible origins for his name, notes on the physical skills and abilities he’s shown over the years (which in turn leads to speculation about his possible training and history), weapons of choice, torture methods he’s endured, and an infamous in-depth look at his sexual history, complete with charts and graphs. Too much information? Sure, but it’s a damn funny read nonetheless!

Golgo 13 is a very manly manga, and quite possibly the most western and easily accessible one I’ve come across. The stand-alone nature of the stories make it easy to jump in at any volume with no problem. Whether or not you want to depends on how much your like spy thrillers and political intrigue, but if you’re a fan of those kinds of stories, or just want a break from the speechifying teen adventures that are clogging store shelves, then Golgo 13 is certainly a series worth checking out.

Volumes one through ten of Golgo 13 are available now; volume eleven arrives in stores in October.