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Neotopia Color Manga #1
Neotopia Color Manga #1
In a world where Man has at long last learned to live and work in harmony with Nature, the citizens of Mathenia live a good life under their beloved Grand Duchess. Unknown to them, she is Nalyn, a commoner standing in for Nydia, the real Duchess. Doing Nydia's dirty work is tough enough, but then Nalyn is kidnapped by an enemy empire bent on bringing back the age of world-hurting technological excess. And once rescued, she must then lead her country to war.
168 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2004
3 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Rod Espinosa
161Ìýbooks39ÌýfollowersEspinosa's work on The Courageous Princess (Antarctic Press) got him on the nomination list for “Promising new talentâ€� and also “Best artistâ€� for the 2000 Ignatz Awards and the 2002 Eisner Award nomination list for “Best Title for Younger Readersâ€�.
As both writer and artist, he has also authored the Neotopia series (4 volumes, 140 pages each), which was published in graphic novel form. In 2006, Novotopia, the German edition of Neotopia, got a nomination for the Max und Moritz Prize in the category 'Bester Comic für Kinder' (best comic book for younger audience).
His past work include the Battle Girlz series, a manga adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, The Alamo and Metadocs. He has also written and conceptualized popular Antarctic Press titles such as I Hunt Monsters, and Herc and Thor. His work is also be featured in a series of American History comic books dealing with the subjects of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Lewis and Clark, The Boston Tea Party, The Alamo, Jackie Robinson, The Underground Railroad, Abraham Lincoln, Patrick Henry, Cesar Chavez, The American Revolution, the Transcontinental Railroad, and Clara Barton. He has also worked on Classics such as: Around the World in Eighty Days, Moby-Dick, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. His latest graphic novel from Antarctic Press, is called Dinowars. He is currently working on an online graphic novel entitled The Prince of Heroes.
(Taken from .)
As both writer and artist, he has also authored the Neotopia series (4 volumes, 140 pages each), which was published in graphic novel form. In 2006, Novotopia, the German edition of Neotopia, got a nomination for the Max und Moritz Prize in the category 'Bester Comic für Kinder' (best comic book for younger audience).
His past work include the Battle Girlz series, a manga adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, The Alamo and Metadocs. He has also written and conceptualized popular Antarctic Press titles such as I Hunt Monsters, and Herc and Thor. His work is also be featured in a series of American History comic books dealing with the subjects of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Lewis and Clark, The Boston Tea Party, The Alamo, Jackie Robinson, The Underground Railroad, Abraham Lincoln, Patrick Henry, Cesar Chavez, The American Revolution, the Transcontinental Railroad, and Clara Barton. He has also worked on Classics such as: Around the World in Eighty Days, Moby-Dick, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. His latest graphic novel from Antarctic Press, is called Dinowars. He is currently working on an online graphic novel entitled The Prince of Heroes.
(Taken from .)
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 24, 2018
I'm pretty sure I've read this before. But since it was so long ago, I only have vague memories. I liked the artwork and the story seems to be a intriguing. Although i skimmed a lot of the pages that had a lot of words on them. I'll probably go back to re-read later.
Looking forward to the next installment.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? Borrow
Looking forward to the next installment.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? Borrow
January 8, 2021
The art for the backgrounds is quite nice, especially the machinery. The people and characters, especially the way they talk and interact with each others, is the flattest and most lifeless thing i've ever seen. Believe me, it's so stiff I could only imagine them as shop mannequins.
The message is one i've seen a million times before. Seriously, it's Captain Planet levels of flat. Go read Perdido Street Station for a better leftist social commentary.
The message is one i've seen a million times before. Seriously, it's Captain Planet levels of flat. Go read Perdido Street Station for a better leftist social commentary.
March 8, 2009
Nalyn is a servant who often impersonates the Grand Duchess of Mathenia. Only a few people know this secret � her two best friends Ki-Ek (the dolphin) and Nimn (the fairy), and the real Duchess (who shirks her responsibilities constantly in order to follow her own whims). Nalyn gets to train to be a fighter, practice diplomacy, and eventually lead her troops into war against another nation. The real Duchess, when called upon to do this things, is simply unable to perform and would rather rescue her wardrobe than her people. The Krossians start the war by kidnapping Nalyn who rescues herself with the help of some of her companions. They want the Mathenians to adopt their ways and return to the age of heavy industry � the ways that bankrupted their world in the past.
It’s a bit Star Wars � the Nalyn-Duchess switch is reminiscent of Queen Amidala’s subterfuge, however, both Padme and the Queen were responsible, capable people. In this story the real Duchess is a spoiled, narcissistic brat and her brother is the same way. There are also all sorts of different races among the free peoples of Mathenia. And the good people want things to stay this way while the “bad� people want humans to be the ruling class. Not a whole lot happens in this first installment � just the beginning of the war. There’s a brief introduction to who all of the characters are, but it might have been worth establishing them better through flashbacks to the Duchess and Nalyn growing up together. You do have a better sense of them by the time this ends, but many are still somewhat loosely sketched.
Not a bad beginning, but not fantastically intriguing either.
It’s a bit Star Wars � the Nalyn-Duchess switch is reminiscent of Queen Amidala’s subterfuge, however, both Padme and the Queen were responsible, capable people. In this story the real Duchess is a spoiled, narcissistic brat and her brother is the same way. There are also all sorts of different races among the free peoples of Mathenia. And the good people want things to stay this way while the “bad� people want humans to be the ruling class. Not a whole lot happens in this first installment � just the beginning of the war. There’s a brief introduction to who all of the characters are, but it might have been worth establishing them better through flashbacks to the Duchess and Nalyn growing up together. You do have a better sense of them by the time this ends, but many are still somewhat loosely sketched.
Not a bad beginning, but not fantastically intriguing either.
May 15, 2015
I read this series years ago, probably about when it was first published; not sure any more. Some random thought reminded me of it recently, so I checked it out from the library again and skimmed it. Skimming is all that seemed necessary, because even though I like the setting well enough-- a sort of far-future fantasy set among the remnants of older, more technologically advanced civilizations, a type of setting that seems moderately common in manga and anime and other media, though this one lacks the usual apocalyptic collapse-- and there are some interesting ideas sprinkled throughout, the story really isn't that special and I have other books to read.
February 1, 2008
A beautiful graphic novel with a strong female lead character. Explores themes of environmentalism, imperialism, and gender roles. My only gripe is that the human characters look slightly off (not bad, just not great). The backgrounds and other character species are all well done though. For example, I especially like the design of Monti, the Chiropteran (bat species).
December 29, 2012
I love Rod's style, especially how he draws women--they're sexy without being skinny, like a real woman. The scenes are just beautiful, and I like the steampunk flair.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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