BOOK TOUR: YAN Vol. 1
Thanks to the awesome people at Titan Manga for making me a part of this book tour! Be sure to check out the entire roster as we finish out the month, and get your own copy now!
I got to review volume 1 of Chang Sheng's gorgeous, genre-busting YAN for the Otaku USA website back in May. I was completely unfamiliar with Sheng's work, knowing only that I really like Titan's manga releases and that they tend to find titles that even avid fans might miss or overlook.
Reader, I was not prepared. I was so unprepared that, when I was offered a spot on the book tour for YAN Vol. 1, I accepted it, just to have a chance to say more.
First off, the obvious: the art. Every single page, every single panel of YAN is a treat. So often I see series that cannot walk the line between realism and expressiveness, with the need to achieve visual perfection making facial expressions look either strange or nonexistent. Until a month ago, I would have pointed out Kiyoto Shitara's amazing two-page spreads for Bug Ego as the only exception to the rule I'd personally seen and enjoyed.
YAN, though... good lord. For every character to stay on model, to stay expressive, and for the protagonist to spend a lot of time in ornate Peking Opera headwear and makeup? It's unbelievable.
The comic, for those of you who are unaware and who didn't read my OUSA review, is about Yan Tien-Hua, sent to prison for what was believed to be her role in a brutal massacre at her opera company. She was also believed to have died in prison—but here she is, decades later, looking no different than she did when she was put away. And she's out for revenge.
That story along would be more than enough; there are already multiple mysteries to unravel here. But even within the first volume, we're not done. There's also Higa Mirai, a Japanese go prodigy who appears to be able to see the future. How do their lives tie together? What really happened 30 years ago? Why is Yan the same as she was back then? This first volume lays out enticing mysteries, coupled with gorgeous visuals.
And then there's the book itself. I've mentioned I love Titan Manga, and Titan Comics in general. Besides the titles they pick up, I also love the print volumes they put together, complete with tons of bonus material in the back. This first volume of YAN is weighty—about double the size of your typical tankobon. The vibrant cover is the perfect gateway for the story inside.
I read a lot of manga and manhwa and webtoons and light novels for work, and these days it's rare for me to stick with something long-term unless an anime adaptation is on the horizon or it hits just right. YAN hits just right. I've truly never seen anything like it, and I want more.
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