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Megatokyo Vol.2

Creator: Fred Gallagher

Reviewed by Rob Manuel

Read this.  We understand j00.

I don't know how much you know about the world of comics, but it's a funny  business.  It used to be that anyone with a pen, some paper, and an idea could  send a comic to their local paper and get a couple of cents for their trouble.  As comic book publishers started to spring up, artists  joined with other people to produce comics.  Fortunately, you didn't need to  know how to draw a circle to work in comics.  As time passed, anyone who wanted  their work seen by a large audience had to apply to the big two (Marvel or
DC) or learn how to draw Garfield.

Now, we have the internet, and anyone can post their comics on  their own little webpage.  If people liked what they saw, they might send  you some money to keep drawing.  Very few comics on the web will see a dime, let  alone enough dimes to rub two of them together.  A select few have risen to the top and received enough recognition to actually make some money. There's not a single advertisement agency behind these sites or a big business to hire the best team or artists and writers.  The sites survive on a basic principle that has to gone to the wayside of slick handshakes and glossy covers.  I'm talking about talent. 
 
The point of my rambling is that Fred Gallagher has so much talent that it's sick. 
 
Welcome to Japan, the land of the rising robotic monsters.  On a small island of the coast of China, people work to create cutting edge video games, draw manga, fight in various ninja-styles, create electronic-music, and devise other nefarious ways to make good little geek-boys and geek-girls wet themselves in delight. You know you want to go there.  I want to go there. And for two special geeks, Piro and Largo, all they want is to leave Megatokyo. 

Vol. 2 opens with the two boys with their robotic dating-sim doll, Ping, without a place to live and not a yen to their name.  Piro, the shy artistic one, starts work at a game shop where he's forced to wear adorable costumes. Largo, the outgoing slacker with l33t h4k3r sk1lls, goes in search of the zombie queen, a good arcade, and to find out what kind of destruction a dating-sim doll with a broken heart can do.  The story lines are quick and - best of all - solid. The story effortlessly flows from comedic to touchingly beautiful.  Different characters pop in all the time so it's best to start with the first book if you want to keep track of all of them.  
 
Besides just creating a wonderful story with complex characters, Gallagher touches on every point of geek-hood you could think of.  Are you an on-line gamer?  It's in there.  How about a little cosplay every once in awhile? It's there as well.  Like manga?  You better believe that's in there.  Would you like a side of Japanese culture to go along with your story?  This is where Megatokyo really shines.  Slowly weaved through over-the-top cultural parodies lies a real cultural lesson about modern Japan. You probably won't survive  very long with this book alone to guide you through the streets of Tokyo, but you do get a better appreciation for the culture.
 
Gallagher is really onto something here.  As I consider one of the first real breakout comic artists of the digital age, the form lends itself well to the printed page.  A true test of a good comic is to see if every page makes you want to flip to the next.  Think of it as every page should have its own little story arc.  With pages coming out only a couple of times a week, each page has to bring the reader back in order to keep an audience.  His effort shines through, from the hand drawn details of the pictures to the intricate stories as they flow from one plot to another.
 
If you are a geek... or know someone else who's a geek... or just appreciate a good comic, then you have to pick up Megatokyo.  Want to read a couple of pages before buying it?  Go to the Megatokyo website and catch up on some of the action.  All the old comics are still there--which would be comic-suicide for many artists.  Not for Gallagher.  The stories are so good; you'll want to hold  them in your hands instead of waiting for them to download.  Gallagher is just one of the shining examples of artists out on the web making a better quality product than some of the big name companies.  Until we see that Something Positive #1 or watch the Homestar Runner Movie, be confident in knowing that people with real talent and passion for comics can make it into the business.

Rating: (4 out of 4 stars)