Outwards
Author: Elephant Wendigo
Publisher: Yaoi Revolution
Pages: 40
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes
Synopsis:
In a dry inhospitable future world, the privileged live in big cities
while the outsiders are forced to fight for a piece of bread in the
desert. Mark Koch, a weapons builder and trafficker lives on the outside
in a place known as The Colony within the rusty hull of a buried
aircraft carrier. Tough and arrogant, he enjoys his position and free
ways with the Colony women until one day he comes upon a stranger
collapsed in the sand (Stefan). He takes this young man into the
infirmary where he notices a striking tattoo on his cheek – a tribal
design that marks this mysterious wanderer as a murderous renegade.
Mark Koch is used to waking up with a different woman every day and
never remembers their names, but when he lays eyes on the unusual and
handsome renegade, Stefan, he thinks this kid might well, be trouble,
for him at least. As a former army man, Koch is used to hardship as an
outsider who has to fend for himself in The Colony. He has his own way
of getting on with his comrades but can't quite fathom Stefan. Due to
the tattoo on his face, he forms an opinion of Stefan as someone who
must have killed his comrades to get where he is. It could be just a
rumour, but Koch isn't one for taking chances as it is up to him to
employ him and show him what work is like there if he's to stay. If
Stefan doesn't meet his approval, he's going to send him back into the
barren desert he came from.
No matter what he does, Mark can't shake what he thinks about Stefan. He believes firmly that he killed his comrades and he might actually kill them if given half the chance. Mark might have to work with him but he doesn't have to trust him and he doesn't want to trust Stefan.
Outwards is an interesting manga as it is more of a short story than a full manga. When I saw the slimline look of the volume I thought at once that this must be a début novel for Elephant Wendigo in the hope that readers would be inspired enough to want to read more manga by him. This début is all that is needed for me to say a big "yes" to that as it is both dystopian, futuristic and erotic with two sexy men looking like they want to wrap us up in their lives as well as have us stare at their impressive bodies. Elephant's story is about prejudice in everyday society, what some people think of when they see a tattooed man or woman, that they believe one is a thug while the other might have loose morals. And in Outwards, Elephant tackles the prejudice Mark feels toward Stefan.
Stefan's certainly hot and muscular from the cover art and I like the way he has Mark tied to the bed. There is a great deal of symmetry in this story, Mark thinks he can treat women any way he likes, and they have to tolerate his sexist ways in the workplace, but when Stefan takes an interest in him, he gives him a taste of his own medicine. As it is short it has enough of a story with conflict, situations and possible solutions to keep the readers interest. One thing I would like to say is that the characters are older than in standard yaoi and without the usual high school/college setting they normally come from. Here are real men with jobs in adult situations. Readers get to find out a lot on the two characters in a short space of time, what the real meaning is behind the tattoo on Stefan's face and the story behind Mark's pendant. Mark and Stefan do what they have to to survive in an imperfect futuristic world, and hopefully we will find out more on the two of them in a possible sequel to Outwards.
Really Good points:
* It reads right to left in the traditional Japanese way for manga.
* It's refreshing that the novel doesn't have adverts at the back.
* Mark's reading George Orwell's 1984 which pretty much reflects what the future could be and the anti-authority feeling the book has.
No matter what he does, Mark can't shake what he thinks about Stefan. He believes firmly that he killed his comrades and he might actually kill them if given half the chance. Mark might have to work with him but he doesn't have to trust him and he doesn't want to trust Stefan.
Outwards is an interesting manga as it is more of a short story than a full manga. When I saw the slimline look of the volume I thought at once that this must be a début novel for Elephant Wendigo in the hope that readers would be inspired enough to want to read more manga by him. This début is all that is needed for me to say a big "yes" to that as it is both dystopian, futuristic and erotic with two sexy men looking like they want to wrap us up in their lives as well as have us stare at their impressive bodies. Elephant's story is about prejudice in everyday society, what some people think of when they see a tattooed man or woman, that they believe one is a thug while the other might have loose morals. And in Outwards, Elephant tackles the prejudice Mark feels toward Stefan.
Stefan's certainly hot and muscular from the cover art and I like the way he has Mark tied to the bed. There is a great deal of symmetry in this story, Mark thinks he can treat women any way he likes, and they have to tolerate his sexist ways in the workplace, but when Stefan takes an interest in him, he gives him a taste of his own medicine. As it is short it has enough of a story with conflict, situations and possible solutions to keep the readers interest. One thing I would like to say is that the characters are older than in standard yaoi and without the usual high school/college setting they normally come from. Here are real men with jobs in adult situations. Readers get to find out a lot on the two characters in a short space of time, what the real meaning is behind the tattoo on Stefan's face and the story behind Mark's pendant. Mark and Stefan do what they have to to survive in an imperfect futuristic world, and hopefully we will find out more on the two of them in a possible sequel to Outwards.
Really Good points:
* It reads right to left in the traditional Japanese way for manga.
* It's refreshing that the novel doesn't have adverts at the back.
* Mark's reading George Orwell's 1984 which pretty much reflects what the future could be and the anti-authority feeling the book has.
Verdict: It's the perfect dystopian bromance and hopefully Elephant Wendigo will be writing more of the same.
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