Innocent W, Vols. 1 & 2
Published by: Tokyopop
Writer & Artist: Kei Kusunoki

208 (190) & 224 (198) pages.
Original Language: Japanese
Orientation: Right to left
Vintage: 2004. US editions September 2006 and January 2007.
Translation: Christopher North
Adaptation: Daniel Mishkin
Production Artist, vol. 1: Jihye “Sophia” Hong
Retouch & Lettering, vol. 1: Jennifer Carbajal
Layout & Lettering, vol. 2: Star Print Brokers
Cover Layout & Design: Louis Csontos
Editor: Paul Morrissey
Publisher’s Rating: Older Teen, 16+

Rating: 2 out of 5

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Premise: Six witches, a few innocent bystanders, and Makoto Hirasaka (uncanny private eye) find themselves stranded in the mountains, lost, and hunted. And then things get deadly serious.

Synopsis:

Makoto took the job from the lovely young lady who happened into his office; it seemed like an easy paycheck. Ride the 5 o’clock bus on a particular line, and find the witch.

Except there’s more than one witch. And this particular bus is going way off it’s usual route. And it all gets weirder from here.

It almost sounds like an odd game show: survive the challenges, be the last witch standing, and inherit the title of all powerful witchdom. Except… the witches all want to survive, and are willing to work together against the psychos, witch-hunters, revenge-nuts, and the animated near-dead to beat this thing and come out as a group. Methinks whoever set this up is not amused.

Through two volumes there have been casualties on both sides, and a few twists and reveals along the way. Through it all, the pragmatism and ever calm attitude of detective Makoto is the one thing that seems to be keeping the small group together, though it remains to be seen if anyone will come down out of the mountains alive.

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Review:

I’m not a big fan of horror comics. The gimmick/set-up here is pretty neat, though, and the past lives of each of the witches (Makoto included) all have a bearing on current events, and why these particular souls are in the mountains for this witchhunt. It plays out on a psychological level every bit as much as a physical or metaphysical one.

And the blood. And the gore. And the walking bodies, the spirits, the psycho killers and axe murderers and oy… [*swoon*]
It’s all a bit much. Though despite that (or perhaps because of the background carnage) the emotions and interplay between characters is heightened, and in volume two there are a number of twists that I’d like to see play out. You know, provided Kusunoki doesn’t just kill off those characters.

It’s a comic with a small cast, and a small but proportionately high body count. Don’t get too attached to any one character, because she will be dead or psychologically scarred in a matter of pages.

And the aforementioned blood, and gore, and bugs… It’s not a comic for the squeemish. But if a good horror show–with some solid character studies–is what you’re looking for, you’ve found it.