Universal Century 0079
Mobile Suit Gundam: the Origin
by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Yoshiyuki Tomino,
Hajime Yatate
Graphic Novel/Manga
Hardcover, approx. 450 pages, 6 x 8 inches
vol. 1 978-1-935654-87-2 Buy.
vol. 2 978-1-935654-88-9 Buy.
vol. 3 978-1-935654-97-1 Buy.
vol. 4 978-1-935654-98-8 Buy.
vol. 5 978-1-939130-19-8 Buy.
vol. 6 978-1-939130-20-4 Buy.
vol. 7 978-1-939130-67-9 Buy.
vol. 8 978-1-939130-68-6 Buy.
vol. 9 978-1-941220-15-3 Buy.
vol. 10 978-1-941220-16-0 Buy.
vol. 11 978-1-941220-46-7 Buy.
vol. 12 978-1-941220-47-4 Buy.
U.S.$29.95 / CAN$33.95
Preview Volume 1 at BN.com
Here it began, and it stirs once more. The epoch-making initial season that set new standards of verisimilitude for televised sci-fi animation returns in comics form at the hand of one of the original creators. This definitive account, penned in our century, expands on the classic narrative with the same sense of purpose and verve that first lit up the screen more than three decades ago. Bonuses for this opening installment include an essay by perhaps the most celebrated of the influential series’ students.
Hokkaido native Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (1947-) is a Japanese animator and manga artist. His career as a character designer has spanned over four decades, creating famed characters for such anime as Super Atragon, Brace Raideen, and the widely known Mobile Suit Gundam. Considered a pivotal player in mecha and sci-fi anime, Yasuhiko's characters, stories and illustrations are unmistakable in their style and serve as timeless examples of classical manga and animation in Japan.
Yasuhiko began his career as an animator in Osama Tezuka's Mushi Productions, and later on decided to go freelance to work for a number of animation productions for both film and television. In the late 70's, Yasuhiko would turn his attention to the world of comics, as he has since penned nearly two dozen titles.
In 1981 he was awarded the Seiun Award by the Japanese Sci-Fi Association.
In 1990 his work Namuji won the Japan Comic Artist Association Grand Prize
In 2000 he took the Japan Media Arts Award for Best Comic with his title A Revolutionary Dog.
“It’s a good book. Very good, actually. Very good war comics, requiring no prior experience with anime or mecha or Gundam—just a well-made, old-fashioned war comic, full of thrills and spills and lucky breaks and narrow escapes and preening villains you’ll love to hate and pigheaded heroes you may hate to love, and expert drawings by a master craftsman, and hard, sturdy violence.”
—Joe McCulloch, The Comics Journal
“It's not often that I bother taking up space just to discuss the presentation of a book, but this is certainly one of Vertical's finest releases. Both the graphic and actual material design of the cover is special, and the interior is of a much higher quality than your average manga. This especially holds true throughout the healthy handful of color sections, which look absolutely gorgeous on the glossy paper stock...The whole package is an absolute must for fans of Gundam, but I'd say there's plenty to enjoy in this nearly 450-page monster for anyone remotely interested in mech action and sci-fi storytelling.”
—Otaku USA
“This is the root of all the tropes and themes of Gundam but with a loving layer of refinement that cleans up a lot of the rough edges of the original...In many ways this is the clearest vision of the original story and a great place to start as well as revisit.”
—Reverse Thieves
“From the painted opening prologue, the storytelling is of an incredibly high standard, with Yasuhiko’s touch servicing action scenes especially well. Visual highlights abound... It’s a dazzling, action packed ride, and I’d recommend it highly.”
—Anime UK News
