COMIC REVIEW: YAN Vol. 2
A couple of months ago, I was invited to be part of the book tour for Vol. 1 of YAN. As regular readers will likely remember, I was hugely impressed by the first volume. The art, the story, and uniqueness of the characters all came together to make something really special. While I was looking forward to later volumes, I wasn't sure there would be anything new to talk about. There's a reason I tend to stick to covering first volumes over on Otaku USA.
Anyway, I also enjoy being wrong about good books.
YAN Vol. 1 left us with a cavalcade of strange characters, all of whom would allegedly come together in the story somehow. This middle act evolves Yan's story past the inciting incident (the death of her family some 30 years ago, allegedly at her hands). As it happens, this is far bigger even than a seemingly-immortal opera star on the hunt for vengeance.
Diving too deep into the story would give away far too much. Suffice to say, though, this story is huge. New players enter the field, adding context to a decades-old crime and setting the start of this bizarre timeline earlier than first believed. It also answers the question that's been top of mind for me since the first volume: why are so many super-powerful people congregating in one place, within one story? The answer is a surprising one, and one that blows the whole story wide open.
The art continues absolutely stunning. I think most people who read comics, manga, manhua etc. are used to the occasional "lazy panel." Maybe the action of a certain moment isn't big or important enough to necessitate the artist's full attention. Regardless, YAN is consistently detailed and consistently beautiful. Every panel is gorgeous and drawn with care, and fortunately the print editions are physically huge so you can fully appreciate that fact.
By the end of Volume 2, YAN is a very different story. There are many different threads tangled up in each other, the fate of the world is on the line, and who and what our protagonist even is. The two epilogue pages muse on some of the powers in the story and how the final volume will go, and frankly, I couldn't be more excited.
If you're a fan of paranormal action-adventure, or even just action-adventure in general, immerse yourself in YAN. And definitely start from the beginning.
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