Jaco the Galactic Patrolman

February 9, 2015
Dragon Ball creator Toriyama returns to comedic serials with the story of an eccentric alien who befriends a grumpy old man. Intergalactic peacekeeper Jaco is assigned to protect Earth from an incoming threat, but he crashes his spaceship on a remote island inhabited by Omori, a retired engineer. Although bothered by the whole ordeal, Omori offers to help repair Jacoâs vessel and send the diminutive extraterrestrial on his way. In the meantime, Omori needs to keep Jacoâs presence a secret, despite a nosy government agent, as well as Jacoâs attention-grabbing antics and powers. An orbit-bound pop idol doppelganger and a bit of âtime dilationâ round out the bookâs mayhem, whichâlike its heroâoffers a whole lot packed into a small space. Toriyamaâs punchy dialogue and waggish spirit are still intact, and his art, although pared down, remains sharp in its sense of movement and pace in this back-to-basics one-off from one of the industryâs giants. As an added bonus, thereâs even a special treat for Dragon Ball fans. All ages.

April 1, 2015

Gr 6-10-This manga was created by the same author/illustrator of "Dragon Ball Z," and it includes a chapter revealing the secret of Goku's origins, so it will already have a built-in audience. But even for readers who aren't already fans or aren't emotionally invested in Goku, this is still an enjoyable story that stands on its own. Alien Jaco's ship accidentally hits our moon (he was distracted watching a video) and then lands on Earth near an island that's occupied by a retired scientist named Omori. The narrative is filled with light humor but also has darker elements. Jaco wants to beat up any humans he thinks exhibit rude behavior, and he has an extinction bomb that he might or might not use to kill all the humans on the planet. He's also consumed with how cool he looksand spends a lot of time shouting about who he is and then posing dramatically. The illustrations are cartoony and cute, and the decision to introduce different characters by having them pose like Jaco is hilarious and inspired. VERDICT A very adorable fantasy that will be appreciated by humor and manga fans.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

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