Area 88

VIZ comics summaries
VOL 1-6

Mission 1: The Blue Skies of Betrayal

A tank rumbles across the desert. Suddenly, a jet appears and single-handedly destroys the nearly helpless target. The pilot's name is Shin Kazama.
After destroying more tanks, Shin returns to Area 88. He's met by the commander, Saki Vashutal, a young man with long, dark hair and a cross-shaped scar on his forehead. After debriefing, Shin goes to buy ammunition from McCoy, an old man who supplies all the pilots on the base with just about anything they need (for a fee, of course). A new pilot named Mick Simon meets Shin. Mick is eager to start making money as a fellow mercenary pilot at Area 88. Shin brushes him off and returns to his room. Realizing that he still has over two years left before he can return home, Shin gets angsty.
(S.G.A. - for future summaries)
At the meeting later that night, Saki announces a mission to destroy a ground to air missile base. Shin decides that he won't go, and Saki fines him $5,000 for disobeying orders. Bowman, another pilot, wants to pass on the mission too, but he doesn't have enough money. Jeff, yet another pilot, won't lend him the money, but offers to cover him during the mission. Mick, following Shin's lead, also decides to stay behind. He figures that Shin must know what he's doing.
No sooner have the rest of the pilots left than enemy fighters approach the base. Shin definitely did know what he was doing! Shin and Mick defend the base and make a lot of money in the process. When the rest of the pilots and Saki return, Bowman gloats about how much money he made. But when Shin inquires about Jeff, Bowman casually says that Jeff got hit by a missile. Saki gets pissed, but Shin reasons that they're all really just interested in the money anyway. Saki askes Shin what he's fighting for, and Shin says "The skies that betrayed me. . .."

My Comments

The first chapter of this wonderful series introduces several major characters (Shin, Saki, McCoy, and Mick) and sets the mood for the rest of the series. Angst and tragedy are combined with brief moments of humor. The death of Jeff is intended to show us how cheaply human life is valued by many of the mercenaries, who are hardened by the death and violence that they witness every day. But it's obvious, even from this beginning, that there's more to Shin than meets the eye.
The artwork in this first chapter is much rougher than it is later in the series, even in the second chapter. Especially Mick, who looks like he loses 30 pounds and 5 years between the first and second chapters. But all the character designs are better defined over the course of the next couple of chapters. The line work also gets lighter in the next chapter, and the drawings loosen up as Shintani becomes more comfortable with the characters. Some of my favorite artwork in this series is his humorous and simplistic-looking stuff, and none of that really shows up in the first chapter. The best is yet to come!

Story and Art/KAORU SHINTANI

Original Japanese version
Editor-in-chief/YONOSUKE KONISHI (Shogakukan, Inc.)
Executive Editor/KAZUKI TANAKA (Shogakukan, Inc.)

English version
Translation/JAMES D. HUDNALL & SATORU FUJII
Touch Up Art & Lettering/WAYNE TRUMAN
Cover Design/SHINJI HORIBUCHI

Co-Publishers/MASAHIRO OGA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
DEAN MULLANEY (Eclipse Comics)
Executive Editors/SEIJI HORIBUCHI (Viz Communications, Inc.)
CATHERINE YRONWODE (Eclipse Comics)
Editor/FRED BURKE (Eclipse Comics)
Editorial Assistant/ABRA L. NUMATA (Viz Communications, Inc.)

Mission 2: The Man Named Boris

Shin and Mick observe a single pilot named Boris, who is the only man to return from the 4th attack squadron. It's rumored that he sleeps with the lights on at night in order to keep away the darkness.
Later, McCoy tries to sell Shin some cheap sidewinders, but after Boris warnes Shin that they might not explode, he decides to pass. McCoy is pissed.
For their next mission, they go out to attack a supply base protected by ground to air missiles. The planes go in low and fast, but they're caught off-guard by a device called the "fang", a metal barrier. Only Shin and Boris make it through the narrow holes in the barrier because they both fly F8E Crusaders which are capable of flying with their wings folded. They destroy the base. Suddenly, an enemy jet falls out of the sky. It was shot down by Mick, who stayed to protect them from above. Shin suggests splitting the reward money between the three of them, but Boris says it will only be split in half. Angered by this apparent ungratefullness by Boris, Shin tells Boris to keep it all. But Boris laughes. Shin didn't understand - he wanted Mick and Shin to split the money. Boris tells them that he was hit by anti-aircraft fire, and he isn't going to make it back. Boris tells them about the gain and loss of friends in wartime, and that the reason that he sleeps with the lights on is so that he doesn't have to see the faces and hear the voices of his dead friends. Before he dies, he asks Shin to turn off the light in his room.
Back at the base, Shin and Mick are met by Saki, who congratulates them on their success. Mick gripes about the defective sidewinders he bought from McCoy. And Shin goes into Boris's room and turns off the light, saying "Good Night, Boris. . .."

My Comments

I love this chapter. It's a very sad, poignant story, wonderfull executed. Even though we know very little about Boris, his death is truly a tragedy. It also stands as a nice counterpoint to the death of Jeff in the first chapter. While Jeff's death is tragic largely because of how callously Bowman remembers his sacrifice, Boris's death seems even more tragic because he was a man who understood the value of friendship and human life. It's a beautiful and moving piece of artwork. Speaking of the artwork, it improved considerably from the first chapter. Mick actually looks much more like the Mick we all come to know and love.

Mission 3: The Boundless Desert

Shin is engaged in combat with enemy fighters. However, his luck runs out as one of the enemy fighters shoots his Crusader out of the sky.
Flashback: France, 1978
Shin and his best friend, Satoru Kanzaki, are top student pilots getting ready to return to Japan and become pilots for Yamato Airlines. Kanzaki is jealous of Shin, who's girlfriend is Ryoko, the daughter of the president of Yamato Airlines. Kanzaki has goals - he wants to run his own airline someday. And Kanzaki won't let anything stand between him and his goals.
Kanzaki convinces Shin to go out for a night on the town before they return to Japan. The two of them get totally plastered, and Shin passes out in a bar. Kanzaki wakes him up, telling him to sign a piece of paper that is supposedly a permit to stay out all night. He leaves Shin behind, bidding him farewell.
The next morning, two Middle Eastern gentlemen wake Shin up in the bar and tell him that he has just joined the mercenary air force of the kingdom of Asran. The terms of his contract are that he has to serve three years as a mercenary pilot, and they threaten to shoot him as a deserter if he tries to escape. Shine realizes that Kanzaki tricked him into signing the contract. "Kanzaki ... Why? Why? Why did you do this to me?" he asks.
Back in the present, Shin struggles to rise near the burning remains of his Crusader. He is determined to live, to get revenge on Kanzaki. He struggles his way through the desert in the blistering heat, but after throwing away his helmet and running out of water, he begins to think that he is going to die after all. Still, he struggles to survive but finally collapses in the sand. S.G.A. As one last gesture, an attempt to die, he reaches his hand out and surprisingly touches asphalt. He looks up and sees a jet about to fly right over his head. It's the runway of Area 88.

My Comments

We finally get to find out why Shin is at Area 88. Poor guy. ;_; In this chapter we're introduced to Kanzaki, the bastard who was responsible for ruining Shin's life. There are a couple of interesting things in this chapter. Yamato Airlines (YAL) is obviously a thinly disguised Japan Airlines (JAL). When Shin and Kanzaki get drunk, they start hallucinating. Shintani uses that as a chance to draw all sorts of cameo appearences of other manga, including the Space Cruiser Yamato! And, in this chapter, Shin shows us that the power of righteous vengeance is stronger than heat and thirst. What a guy. ^_- There's some really cute artwork in this chapter, especially the scenes when Shin is drunk. I love this stuff!

Mission 4: The Old Soldier's Fire

Shin is trying out Saki's new plane: an F15 Eagle. He's joined by Mick and Saki. Saki isn't thrilled about his new plane though, and another pilot named Morris suggests that maybe Saki prefers to fly a plane that he's used to. Morris flies a T-6 Texan, a prop plane. It's hopelessly outdated compared to a jet, but Morris is good at taking out tanks on the ground. Still, Saki tells him that he's going to get shot down eventually if he doesn't start flying a jet. But Morris just doesn't feel like he can learn to fly one.
Strangely, a locust flies into Mick's face. They wonder why there is a locust in the middle of the desert. Suddenly there's a bright light, and a huge mushroom cloud appears on the horizon! Anti-government forces have used a nuclear missile to destroy Area 81! Fearing an attack against Area 88, all the pilots rush to take off, hoping that they'll be able to shoot down an incoming missile before it hits the base. Well, all except Shin that is, since he still doesn't have a plane after the destruction of his Crusader in the last chapter.
As the first plane tries to take off, a huge swarm of locusts appears out of nowhere, clogging the jet's air intake and causing it to crash. It seems like all hope is lost! The locusts prevent the jets from leaving and the threat of nuclear annihlation seems more and more real.
Morris makes a decision. Because his plane doesn't have a large air-intake like a jet, he's able to take off despite the locusts. Realizing that everyone's life is in danger, Morris releases gasoline on the runway, and sets it ablaze, killing the locusts and clearing the runway so the jets can take off. However, Morris's luck finally runs out, as the locusts cause his plane to crash.
Saki tells Shin to take his plane, and Shin shoots down the nuclear missile before it reaches the base. The moral of the story? "In any era, in any time, the newest things are not always the best things."

My Comments

Personally, I like "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This isn't a particularly important chapter, except that it does tell us that the enemy has nuclear capacity, something that will become important in the future. Poor Morris. At this point, you start to wonder if any pilot other than Shin, Mick, and Saki are going to survive for more than one issue.

Mission 5: The Crossing Point of Solitude

Shin and McCoy examine Shin's new plane, an F5E Tiger II which has just arrived. Because the runway is blocked with wreckage, Shin is unable to take it for a flight.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Kanzaki has just been told by Captain Namikawa, a pilot for Yamato Airlines, that he has been promoted to Captain. Kanzaki and Namikawa talk about Shin, and Kanzaki reveals that they grew up in the same orphanage together. Kanzaki figures that Shin must be dead as he prepares to fly one more return trip to Japan as a co-pilot.
With the runway finally clear, Shin takes his new jet out for a test run. As he ascends, he remembers a happier time when he and Ryoko spent the day at an amusement park. Realizing that those days are gone, S.G.A.
On a jet bound for Tokyo, Kanzaki is tested by Captain Namikawa. He resolves to meet Namikawa's challenge. He remembers a short time ago in Japan when he was talking to Ryoko and she blew him off in favor of Shin, even though Shin has been missing. Kanzaki's plan is to marry Ryoko, and then take over Yamato Airlines. Kanzaki is woken from his daydream when Captain Namikawa remarks how odd it is that it is raining over the Mediterranean.
Shin has also crossed over into the Mediterranean, and wonders about the rain. He decides to ascend above the clouds.
Kanzaki's passenger jet starts to stray off-course.
Shin receives a radio transmission from Area 88 asking him to find a stray pilot. He decides to stay below the clouds after all.
Kanzaki starts to decend, guiding his jet into the clouds.
Shin finds the missing jet floating in the sea, and prepares to return to Area 88. He starts to ascend into the clouds.
Suddenly, Shin finds himself face to face with a YAL passenger jet! He barely gets out of the way in order to avoid a head-on collision. Kanzaki nearly has a heart attack. Seeing the YAL jet strengthens Shin's resolve that he is going to survive in order to return home.

My Comments

This is a nice little story. Shin and Kanzaki meet for the first time since that fateful day, and neither one realizes that the other was there. It's very ironic that seeing the jet piloted by Kanzaki is what makes Shin even more determined to return home, and Kanzaki owes his very life to Shin's piloting ability. The point/counterpoint method of storytelling worked well here. We even had dual Ryoko flashbacks. Speaking of which, the scene with Shin and Ryoko at the amusement park was sweet! Who would ever imagine that a jet pilot wouldn't like roller coasters?

Mission 6: A Blue Mirage

This issue opens in Vietman, 1972. Because of a deck fire from a crashed jet on the carrier, Mick Simon, a U.S. Navy pilot, is unable to land. He and the rest of his squadron are told to head to Da Nang. Mick is preparing to land just before his captain. Suddenly his captain is shot down by friendly fire from a soldier on drugs. Mick reminices about life in Vietnam.
New York. Mick has returned from Vietnam and goes to visit his father's office. Mick gets reaquainted with his brother Fred at a party and meets Fred's wife Marge who is pregnant. Then he sees his old girlfried, Tracy. He tries to join his father's business, but he finds himself frustrated.
Despite his peaceful surroundings, Mick can't stop thinking about the war. He remembers a happy time on an aircraft carrier. Tracy understands that he is living in the past and confronts him about it. She tells him, "You're always looking at a mirage. . . a blue mirage, far away in the sky. . .."
Mick finally realizes that he can't live a normal life anymore. And so he ends up at Area 88.

My Comments

In this issue, we finally learn Mick's background, and why he is at Area 88. I thought this issue was interesting the first time I read it, but I think it has more of an impact on me now. There's not much else for me to say, except that Mick looks pretty good in a suit and tie. ^^

Story and Art/KAORU SHINTANI

Original Japanese version
Editor-in-chief/YONOSUKE KONISHI (Shogakukan, Inc.)
Executive Editor/KAZUKI TANAKA (Shogakukan, Inc.)

English version
Translation/JAMES D. HUDNALL & SATORU FUJII
Touch Up Art & Lettering/WAYNE TRUMAN
Cover Design/SHINJI HORIBUCHI & TORU UEHARA

Co-Publishers/MASAHIRO OGA (Viz Communications, Inc.)
DEAN MULLANEY (Eclipse Comics)
Executive Editors/SEIJI HORIBUCHI (Viz Communications, Inc.)
CATHERINE YRONWODE (Eclipse Comics)
Editor/FRED BURKE (Eclipse Comics)
Editorial Assistant/ABRA L. NUMATA (Viz Communications, Inc.)