FAIRY TAIL VOLUME 1
February 3rd 2010 17:15
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher; Del Rey Ballantine Books
Story & Art by: Hiro Mashima
Translated & Adapted by: William Flanagan
Lettering by: North Market Street Graphics
Cost: AU$17.95/US$10.95
Actually this has to be one of the only times I have actually brought something as the result of advertising, I was browsing the Kings Comics website one day, as is my wont, when I noticed one of the banners on the site was advertising this particular manga series. Being somewhat curious I decided to take a gander at the particular section and see what the fuss was; my curiosity piqued I decided there and then to get hold of the first volume in this series and to cast the eternal emerald gaze of the Green Lantern upon its contents and see what was what. The said volume promptly arrived in the post and was swiftly read once I had managed to extract it from the wrapping.
One of the most popular guilds in the land of Fiore is a guild known as Fairy Tail, noted for the wild crazy over the top antics and the fact that they often deal with unscrupulous types, usually closing them down or making them see the error of their ways. Lucy so wants to become a Fairy Tail wizard, she admires them, but has no idea on how to become a member of the guild or whether she has what it takes to be a member of such a famous guild. After all their exploits often make the pages of Sorcerer magazine, the popular publication that is read by all aspiring young wizards who are looking to make a name for themselves. Of course Fairy Tail’s antics don’t just attract the attention of the popular press but also that of the Wizard’s Council, the body that oversees the actions and activities of the various wizard guilds. Naturally such a body is not too happy with the carnage and chaos that the guild causes, but then again apart from making pointed complaints they seem loath to do anything drastic.
The other protagonist in this story is Natsu, the young male wizard who is on a quest to find someone dear to him by the name of Igneel. Igneel it turns out is the person who raised Natsu and trained him in his particular style of magic, he also happens to be a dragon. Precisely why Natsu is looking for Igneel is not specified in this volume although I have no doubt that as the series continues it will be revealed as an ongoing plot device. It’s interesting to note that Igneel in training Natsu has trained him to be a dragon slayer, something that Lucy finds most unusual, after all why would a dragon train someone to kill dragons? No doubt there is some kind of rationale behind it and will no doubt come to light in future volumes.
Once you finished reading the story there is an afterword from the creator explaining the rationale behind his creation of the story and Natsu along with an explanation of various terms used in the story. Entertainment wise Fairy Tail Volume 1 was a fun enjoyable read, although in contrast to other works of manga it’s a little bit pricier than most. I’m not sure why this is the case but there is a five dollar difference between this particular work and say a volume of Bleach or Naruto or Fullmetal Alchemist, and for the life of me I fail to see the justification for such a price. Could it be the fact that it’s the product of a major book publishing company? Certainly it’s not as if it was thicker than any other volumes of manga or produced on glossy paper or even hardcover. No doubt the price is just one of those little mysteries that crop up in life.
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