eV: Volume 1    by James Farr & Alfa Robbi Order:  USA  Can TOKYOPOP, 2008 (2008) Softcover     Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto This Original English-language manga conceived by James Farr and Roger Mincheff, written by James Farr, and drawn by Alfa Robbi and Papillon Studion might be the manga to pull non-manga graphic novel fans into the genre. While in manga format, eV has a very American feel. Evie Wymond never gets to see her father – he is always working late at his nanobiology lab. For five years he has been working on the ZETTA serum, an injection to make a near superhuman to send into space to the intergalactic parliament. However, every ambassador Earth comes up with winds up dead, and as the deadline draws near, it looks like Dr. Wymond himself will be sent into space. On their way to see him, Evie and her mom get into a car accident that leaves Evie with only a small chance of survival. Thinking only as a father, Dr. Wymond injects Evie with the ZETTA serum. Now with superhuman abilities, Evie is sent to the space parliament where things are even stranger than they seem. What makes eV such a good recommendation for Western graphic novel fans is that the beginning could be the start of any typical superhero story – a teenage girl, through no fault of her own, becomes endowed with superhuman powers by a weird serum. However, instead of sticking around to save her city from villains, she is sent into space and winds up battling the bad guys there. Of course, Evie is just learning about her abilities, so, like many superheroes, she does have to take time getting to know her new self and making the right friends. While the artwork has more of a manga style than a Western one, some panels' screentones look like a typical American comic, once again easing Western readers into manga. This is a solid SF manga with plenty of fun characters and scary aliens. The smaller story arc in the first eV volume wraps up nicely, but only sets the stage for the larger story. Also, the vivid images and well developed story would make an excellent American anime (I really wish someone would do this), which would help even more readers get hooked. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews