I am a Hero Omnibus Volume 1 (I Am a Hero, 1) Paperback – 28 April 2016

‘I am a Hero’ omnibus volume one contains the first two Japanese collected editions of Hanazawa Kengo’s zombie horror Comic. Started in 2009 it is currently still running with a total of 20 collected volumes in print in its native country.‘I am a Hero’ is not only the most refreshing piece of zombie fiction I have come across since ‘Shaun of the dead’ it is one of the most unique pieces of fiction I have read in a long time. The zombie story in itself is nothing new, where Hanazawa breaks new ground is with his main character Hideo Suzuki. Suzuki is a washed up Mangaka who has had to take a job as an assistant artist after his first serialized series ‘uncut Penis’ was cancelled. Suzuki is a veritable smorgasbord board of neurosis, he has low self-esteem, anxiety, social awkwardness, OCD, and irrational fears. On top of this he has an imaginary friend called Yajima that manifests in the form of a small boy, as well as talking to Yajima Suzuki often see’s evil demons trying to attack him when he is alone, and fantasizes about how conversations would go with his colleagues at work; which are presented as actually taking place the illusion is only shattered when his colleagues ask him to stop talking to himself.The power of this book is in the fact that Hanazawa takes his time about everything, fully drawing all the minutia of Suzuki’s life, and adding all his delusions to the comic as if they were real. An example of this is the opening chapter where we see Suzuki open all the locks on his door, and then locking them, then we see him talking to Yajima before his apartment is invaded by imagined evil demons, so Suzuki creates a circle of protection using his books and then gets out his ultimate Talisman, the thing that will set him out from the crowd during the zombie outbreak; a shotgun. In a country with virtually no privately owned firearms Suzuki is one of those few that owns a licence for sports shooting.In another writers hands this series would probably be paced like a Shonen strip, but Hanazawa isn’t in a hurry to get into the action; he builds the stories world slowly, taking the same approach to the narrative as he does to Suzuki’s actions. The first zombie doesn’t make an appearance until halfway through the book. Which in the original format would be the end of book one. This means that we are given ample time to fully immerse ourselves in Suzuki’s life, his relationship with his girlfriend, and his colleagues, his neurosis and hopes for his future. While we are following Suzuki’s closed world in the background people start to go off work ill, there is mention of a flu epidemic, and other odd events. By pushing the outbreak to the background and concentrating on characters as opposed to events the inevitable arrival of the zombies and the destruction they bring becomes all the more heart-breaking because as a reader you’ve become fully invested in Suzuki’s normal day to day life.The second half of the book or the original book two is devoted to Suzuki’s first encounters with the zombies and his frantic escape through the city in search of safety. The interesting thing about this is that mixed in with post-apocalyptic scenarios such as planes dropping out the air, and zombies attacking people on the streets there are still people who are unaware that the world is falling apart around them, as Suzuki is being chased down by flesh eating monsters he passes old ladies walking their dogs or commuters just sat on the train on their way to work totally unaware of what’s happening. This is one of the best depictions of real life I have seen; there is all at once drama and a total lack of drama. The zombies themselves are reminiscent of the violent angry type found in the ‘Dawn of the Dead’ remake however in a new twist they are also agile contortionists who are able to use their feet as hands. Appearance wise they resemble something that would be hatched from the mind of Ito Junji. I was particularly reminded of the corpses in Gyo. Deformed, sometimes engorged with rotting maggot filled flesh and crooked deformed bodies bent at impossible angles.The only downside to this book that I could find is the format. This is a 512 page book which in its self is excellent value for money, however as a careful reader who is unwilling to crack the spine of a book I found it difficult to take in the full glory of the splash pages, my unwillingness to bend the book fully open meant that the fold in the book would distort the art work. However this is not a major problem because I would not be willing to sacrifice the size of this book just to remedy this minor gripe. I can’t predict how this series is going to progress and whether it stays this inventive and entertaining for the next 20 books, however with a start this strong I am in this one for the long-haul. I can’t wait for book 2. My advice would be to put down that copy of Attack on Titan and give a truly deep and creative series like this a go instead, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Son loves his anime, really enjoying reading this book.

So funny, actually out loud, which is unusual for me when reading. Has some moments which remind me of Peter Jackson's 'Bad taste' type humor- which is the best I can describe it.

Not just the best zombie manga, but the best zombie story i have ever experienced.

Loved it!

Taking place in the, surprisingly underused, most interesting part of the zombie apocalypse - the moments immediately before and during everything going to s*** - this book is a surprisingly fresh take on the genre. Seeing everything unfold through a different culture also makes it a good read, although the beginning could be a bit of a struggle for non manga readers because of it: in particular untranslated foods, honorifics, and a Buddhist chant that don't make immediate sense without knowing cultural context (and, for me, it was surprisingly off-putting reading from right to left after decades of muscle memory). One thing it is helpful to know before beginning is that Hideo, the protagonist, is pretty messed up before the apocalypse even starts so take him as an unreliable narrator to avoid confusion. There is a Translator's Notes section at the back(front) but that's no substitute for fully knowing what's going on as you read it.The characters are extremely well designed and the art in general is life-like and gorgeous, although it may be hard to appreciate because this book is physically MUCH smaller than I would expect (see picture) so make sure you know what to expect when you buy. There are a couple of occasions where this is annoying, like seeing a corpse on one page and not knowing for sure who it is until much later and the (otherwise brilliant) series of 2 page spreads mentioned in the product description is much detracted from having the huge spine indent obscuring the middle of the images (which would be much less noticeable in a larger book).Other than that I'd recommend it and will be getting the next omnibus along with the third when it comes out.

Love this series!

Do yourself a favor and buy it.