Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage Vol. 2 Paperback – December 5, 2017

The retelling of Harlock's story continues. The art is great, a new artist drawing in Matsumoto's old style, which maybe ironically, is now a breath of fresh air when viewed next to many of today's cookie cutter art styles. It has real character.The story is oddly resonant even today, with political leaders of a dystopian earth more concerned with money, golf, and keeping the populace subdued and uncaring.The Mazon, ancient interstellar plant based life forms are coming to reclaim earth from humanity, and hardly anyone on earth notices, save some scientist (who are promptly ignored when they try to raise alarm), and our brooding space pirate hero Harlock. Who may very well be the original strong silent type badass of the manga world. Harlock is dripping cool.This is the retelling of Harlock's story. Originally written by L. Matsumoto, who lived in Japan through the Pacific War, Japan's devestation, then occupation and rebuilding. I think his personal experiences must have influenced the power of his story and characters. To me this is on the way to being a masterpiece. Highly recommended.

I read the first volume of this manga series and had to get the next two volumes.The art by Mr. Shimaboshi is great, updating the classic work. I am also readingThe Classic Collection of the original Space Pirate Captain Harlock manga. In thisvolume, we see how Harlock and Tochiro meet, meeting a Mazone, and trying tofigure out their intent as what is left of Earth forces seek to save it. Must read!

Artwork: characters and foregrounds are highly detailed and consistent to the point of perfection. The background artwork is fairly sparse.Story: I like the pacing. The story is not complex, but it keeps things interesting by leading you along with small pieces of information. Dialogue is thin. Oftentimes, it’s left to the reader to guess what the characters are thinking.Overall, I think most fans of Matsumoto will love this for its high quality and faithfulness to the originals. For newcomers, I recommend watching one of the Harlock anime series first.

This second volume sets the stage for the action that is to come. It opens with a flashback of how Tochiro met Harlock (with Emeraldas lurking in the shadows). Tadashi Daiba struggles to find his place aboard the Arcadia, and has his first close look at the enemy Mazon. Queen Lafresia sends a special team to eliminate Harlock, while on Earth, the rulers cannot agree on how to deal with the coming invasion. Harlock is Earth's only hope!

Very well done. A retelling of the original Harlock saga, but fans will notice elements pulled in from various Harlock continuities. Finished the first two volumes in one seating easily. I honestly can't wait for more.