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Icare / イカ� [Ikaru] #1
Icaro, Vol. 1
"Two award-winning graphic artists have produced an outstanding tale of cyberpunk adventure and the quest for freedom. Icaro is a thrilling manga science fiction adventure in the tradition of Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Clamp's sf sagas. Icaro is the mind-bending, fast-paced adventure of a young man, Icaro, with the ability to fly and a young woman, Yukiko, who risks her life-and more-to help Icaro achieve his dream. Best of all, it capitalizes on Taniguchi's ability to depict a vast and oppressive advanced science laboratory that has made Icaro its guinea pig and will use all its resources to keep him imprisoned for study. Icaro's fight to be free and Yukiko's sacrifice to aid him in his quest make this one of the most inspiring manga stories and one of the first significant original manga collaborations between East and West"
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
2 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
Ѳղܲ
495books884followersJean Henri Gaston Giraud (pen-name: Ѳղܲ) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer, who worked in the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées tradition.
Also published as Jean Giraud.
Also published as Jean Giraud.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 7, 2018
I have read the two volumes of Icaro but will review both on Icaro 2. This is the east-west comics/manga collaboration between two comics icons, Moebius (France) and Jirō Taniguchi (Japam). A simple and gorgeously drawn sci fi allegory of freedom.
October 21, 2010
Well.. it's bad. Worse. Horrible and idiotic. Like fan-fiction but without the known characters that somehow give the narrative a much deeper universe in which to unfold.
On the plus side - it's short.
On the plus side - it's short.
April 26, 2016
is a retarded version of with boobies and some hentai poses. The art is quality but the story is stupid, which is a shame. The set up is intriguing, though nearly all the dialogue is on the nose: (paraphrasing) "I don't want to be in a cage. I want to be free. I want to fly like a bird in the sky...Look I am flying! I am so happy!" Unfortunately, the art is too good to be in service of next to nothing. Moebius wrote this dreck and Jirō Taniguchi did all the art.
Moebius claimed that his version of Icarus had been in development for a long time; it stalled and then was eventually completed with the help of Taniguchi. This is Moebius' later work from 2000. It seems that his considerable drafting and storytelling powers were unfortunately failing him. While I did see Icarus sketches in Moebius' coffee table books from the 80s, I cynically believe this was a lame attempt to capitalize on the late 80s success of . Both books share detailed cityscapes populated with numerous skyscrapers in obsessive regularity, a telekinetic lead boy and older telekinetic people who are the subject of government experimentation and secrecy, and failed attempts to contain the boy's burgeoning powers.
Akira had several storylines and came at its telekinetic protagonists from multiple angles. The government tries to weaponize telekinetic children and this goes horribly awry. The multifaceted events involve and affect bozozoku motorcycle gangs, the government bureaucracy, research scientists, the self defence force, fringe religious groups, domestic state failure, and autocratic microstates. There is almost too much content in Akira.
By contrast, Icaro is a telekinetic boy who can fly. He is experimented on by the government in order to weaponize him, because they are evil. Icaro is like "nah" and flies away with a hot lady scientist. Also, soft porn shots to pad things out a bit. In short, Icaro is not worth digging up.
Moebius claimed that his version of Icarus had been in development for a long time; it stalled and then was eventually completed with the help of Taniguchi. This is Moebius' later work from 2000. It seems that his considerable drafting and storytelling powers were unfortunately failing him. While I did see Icarus sketches in Moebius' coffee table books from the 80s, I cynically believe this was a lame attempt to capitalize on the late 80s success of . Both books share detailed cityscapes populated with numerous skyscrapers in obsessive regularity, a telekinetic lead boy and older telekinetic people who are the subject of government experimentation and secrecy, and failed attempts to contain the boy's burgeoning powers.
Akira had several storylines and came at its telekinetic protagonists from multiple angles. The government tries to weaponize telekinetic children and this goes horribly awry. The multifaceted events involve and affect bozozoku motorcycle gangs, the government bureaucracy, research scientists, the self defence force, fringe religious groups, domestic state failure, and autocratic microstates. There is almost too much content in Akira.
By contrast, Icaro is a telekinetic boy who can fly. He is experimented on by the government in order to weaponize him, because they are evil. Icaro is like "nah" and flies away with a hot lady scientist. Also, soft porn shots to pad things out a bit. In short, Icaro is not worth digging up.
May 24, 2024
When you have Ѳղܲ collaborating with Jirō Taniguchi on a comic, expectations would naturally be high. Unfortunately, Icaro is less than the sum of its parts.
Ambitious in its initial conception, Ѳղܲ and Jean Annestay had scribed over 10,000 for the manga series but when Taniguchi came onboard to draw the pages, he shortened it down to a ~300 page story. The compression must have been a struggle given the sprawling narrative beats that seemingly go nowhere, but admirable since this is still a readable experience. The premise itself isn't very complicated - in the near future, a newborn boy floats upon delivery. The boy is sequestered from his mother and grows up in a research facility designed like a giant bird cage. Codenamed "Icaro", the boy yearns to see the sky outside whilst nefarious government agents plan to weaponize him. Other subplots are peppered in throughout this first volume, but the impetus of the action is all around Icaro.
Set in some rendition of a cyberpunk future, Taniguchi's take echoes the works of Otomo's Akira and Tezuka's Astro Boy, though completely lacking in the charm of both. Outside of some striking imagery to open this volume, Taniguchi doesn't really flex his artistic chops the way we all know he can. Instead, Icaro comes off as a pale replica to the more vibrant cyberpunk/sci-fi comics that predate this. The script has some clumsiness to it as well, though this can be written off to some degree to the translation.
A flawed manga that perhaps only the most ardent of Taniguchi fans might appreciate, but even for them I'd probably avoid this one.
Ambitious in its initial conception, Ѳղܲ and Jean Annestay had scribed over 10,000 for the manga series but when Taniguchi came onboard to draw the pages, he shortened it down to a ~300 page story. The compression must have been a struggle given the sprawling narrative beats that seemingly go nowhere, but admirable since this is still a readable experience. The premise itself isn't very complicated - in the near future, a newborn boy floats upon delivery. The boy is sequestered from his mother and grows up in a research facility designed like a giant bird cage. Codenamed "Icaro", the boy yearns to see the sky outside whilst nefarious government agents plan to weaponize him. Other subplots are peppered in throughout this first volume, but the impetus of the action is all around Icaro.
Set in some rendition of a cyberpunk future, Taniguchi's take echoes the works of Otomo's Akira and Tezuka's Astro Boy, though completely lacking in the charm of both. Outside of some striking imagery to open this volume, Taniguchi doesn't really flex his artistic chops the way we all know he can. Instead, Icaro comes off as a pale replica to the more vibrant cyberpunk/sci-fi comics that predate this. The script has some clumsiness to it as well, though this can be written off to some degree to the translation.
A flawed manga that perhaps only the most ardent of Taniguchi fans might appreciate, but even for them I'd probably avoid this one.
October 20, 2024
An interesting combination. I have never read any of Moebius's work but I picked up Icaro because of my affinity for Jiro Taniguchi's work. Icaro combines Taniguchi's brilliant imagery with steampunk retelling of the Icarus myth - albeit with a surprising, romantic fairy tale ending. There is very little in the way of written narrative. We meet a team of researchers and doctors responsible for a young man with the ability to levitate. He has been kept caged all his life and on the outskirts of the story government officials of dubious moral standing are waiting to tap the potential power in Icaro's abilities. One of the researchers, a young women, develops a more personal relationship with Icaro, both of whom are drawn as young people of singular beauty. There is a bursting desire on the lines of these frames, a wanting to escape the bonds of Icaro's capture and discover the world outside as they long to discover each other. Some dialogue between the researchers propels the plot but Icaro rarely speaks and the book centres mainly on impressively drawn, dramatic action-escape scenes. Of course Icaro flies too high at some point but the ending is different and contains a youthful euphoria. Overall, Icaro is a little flimsy. The bad guys are boringly vindictive and there is an evil henchman with the unexplained ability to explode people's heads! Still, it's an adrenaline fueled read, made captivating by Taniguchi's singular aesthetic.
August 20, 2024
Una collaborazione che non vola
Un lavoro a 4 mani tra Moebius e Taniguchi poteva promettere grandi risultati: purtroppo così non è stato qui, secondo me. L'inventiva fuori dagli schemi del francese risulta ingabbiata (proprio come Icaro) dalle strutture abbastanza rigide dei manga: buoni e cattivi chiaramente definiti, stereotipi (di genere e non come la lesbica malefica e la coprotagonista formosa ed imbelle) e narrazione abbastanza convenzionale.
Non aiuta che le vicende sembrano un pò compresse e molti fili restino non risolti, quindi, nonostante alcune visioni pregevoli (Icaro legato insieme ai poliziotti in uno strano groviglio pulsante oppure il neurochirurgo malvagio che si incide sul cranio le diverse sezione encefaliche), il giudizio resta purtroppo negativo.
Un lavoro a 4 mani tra Moebius e Taniguchi poteva promettere grandi risultati: purtroppo così non è stato qui, secondo me. L'inventiva fuori dagli schemi del francese risulta ingabbiata (proprio come Icaro) dalle strutture abbastanza rigide dei manga: buoni e cattivi chiaramente definiti, stereotipi (di genere e non come la lesbica malefica e la coprotagonista formosa ed imbelle) e narrazione abbastanza convenzionale.
Non aiuta che le vicende sembrano un pò compresse e molti fili restino non risolti, quindi, nonostante alcune visioni pregevoli (Icaro legato insieme ai poliziotti in uno strano groviglio pulsante oppure il neurochirurgo malvagio che si incide sul cranio le diverse sezione encefaliche), il giudizio resta purtroppo negativo.
January 15, 2018
whitout saying too much about icaro and the two genius that gave birth to this amazing retelling of the "superman mythos" i think that giving 1 or 2 stars to this comic it's a crime against those artists that will remain in history for a good reason
July 12, 2021
Icaro is a thrilling manga science fiction adventure in the tradition of Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Clamp's sf sagas.
Should read
Icaro is a well drawn half-baked idea aping several of its contemporaries most notably Akira.
Should read
Icaro is a well drawn half-baked idea aping several of its contemporaries most notably Akira.
February 1, 2025
Beautiful art, lightweight and dreamy stream love story that’s more performative (with creepy stalker vibes) than heartfelt. Not essential, but interesting for Moebius completests. Can rent for free through Internet Archive.
October 14, 2017
The beginning was enjoyable, but it was downhill from there. Nevertheless, this first volume is overall still good.
October 25, 2018
such great names attached to it, yet such an empty experience reading it. not fulfilling at all. but I want to see how it ends. going to give the 2nd volume a go for sure.
December 26, 2019
I love Jiro's art and joining moebius was awesome.
October 16, 2023
Quedo incompleto. El dibujo es bueno, pero las historias de moebius me parece que tienden a funcionar con su propio dibujo más que con el de otro.
September 3, 2012
Okay, I gave it four stars. I found my copies of Icaro 1 and 2 at a used bookstore, and was so excited about the low prices that I didn't look inside and see that it was an Italian translation. I was buying them for the art anyway, so I wasn't too disappointed when I realized. I made up my own words to go with the pictures.
Now, I see a lot of people saying that Ѳղܲ wasn't on his game when he illustrated this book. I disagree. One of the things about Ѳղܲ that makes him so magical is that he can do absolutely anything. This was him doing manga. People say things like, 'It's not as good as Arzach,' or something silly like that. It doesn't look like Arzach because it's not Arzach. Ѳղܲ was a guy who had a great deal of respect for many different kinds of art, and in this book he was attempting to draw in a Japanese/manga style. I think he did a great job. If you've got a good eye you can still tell it's his work. You notice the folds on this lady's lab coat in this panel, or the way he shaded this guy's ear on this page, his use of simple lines to express complex details -- it's still Ѳղܲ. In all honesty, though, if I hadn't known that it was Ѳղܲ before I looked at it, I probably wouldn't have known. I had to really focus on what I was looking at, take in every line. It's not something that I normally do when I read comics, though I think I probably should.
In the end, I think it's worth checking out.
Now, I see a lot of people saying that Ѳղܲ wasn't on his game when he illustrated this book. I disagree. One of the things about Ѳղܲ that makes him so magical is that he can do absolutely anything. This was him doing manga. People say things like, 'It's not as good as Arzach,' or something silly like that. It doesn't look like Arzach because it's not Arzach. Ѳղܲ was a guy who had a great deal of respect for many different kinds of art, and in this book he was attempting to draw in a Japanese/manga style. I think he did a great job. If you've got a good eye you can still tell it's his work. You notice the folds on this lady's lab coat in this panel, or the way he shaded this guy's ear on this page, his use of simple lines to express complex details -- it's still Ѳղܲ. In all honesty, though, if I hadn't known that it was Ѳղܲ before I looked at it, I probably wouldn't have known. I had to really focus on what I was looking at, take in every line. It's not something that I normally do when I read comics, though I think I probably should.
In the end, I think it's worth checking out.
February 20, 2013
I just heard about (that is, Jean Giraud) the other day, and have been trying (and failing, it seems!) to get a hold of his actual work since. Dude, EVERYthing on Amazon is like $200+ and out of print. Wtf?
Anyway, this is apparently only written by Moebius, not actually drawn by him. And it's just... meh. A kind of vaguely eroticized cyberpunk tale about a boy with very ripply abs and the ability to fly, some random girl he's keen on, and various evil scientists. Oh yes, and people with black eyes who can self-explode if they think really hard.
This is part 1 of a two-part series, and it's a very slow, simple beginning. Boy can fly. Stuff about exploding people. Boy escapes. Scientists mad. The end.
Anyway, this is apparently only written by Moebius, not actually drawn by him. And it's just... meh. A kind of vaguely eroticized cyberpunk tale about a boy with very ripply abs and the ability to fly, some random girl he's keen on, and various evil scientists. Oh yes, and people with black eyes who can self-explode if they think really hard.
This is part 1 of a two-part series, and it's a very slow, simple beginning. Boy can fly. Stuff about exploding people. Boy escapes. Scientists mad. The end.
May 8, 2016
This review applies to both Icaro Volume 1 and Volume 2.
I love Moebius's work, but Icaro really disappointed me. There was so little story, and the artwork was not particularly interesting or beautiful. We're supposed to be invested in Icaro's relationship with one of the scientists studying him, but I don't think it comes across at all. And when that relationship becomes the focus of the story I lose all investment in the story, as well. The translation into English is also absolutely awful. Overall, some pretty frames, but generally uninteresting artwork and story.
I love Moebius's work, but Icaro really disappointed me. There was so little story, and the artwork was not particularly interesting or beautiful. We're supposed to be invested in Icaro's relationship with one of the scientists studying him, but I don't think it comes across at all. And when that relationship becomes the focus of the story I lose all investment in the story, as well. The translation into English is also absolutely awful. Overall, some pretty frames, but generally uninteresting artwork and story.
February 29, 2016
Jiro Taniguchi and Moebius combined in this wonderful manga about a flying boy hidden in a military facility without any preconceptions of freedom. However, there is something spiritual about Icaro, and he's showing empathy and understanding which with his willingness to please made him into perfect experiment. Then he meets Yukiko, woman who understands him and everything will change.
Major plus of this book is Moebius's art. His approach to the characters is memorable. His style looks like a bird trying to get itself free. Icaro is an intriguing manga. Can't wait for the second volume.
Major plus of this book is Moebius's art. His approach to the characters is memorable. His style looks like a bird trying to get itself free. Icaro is an intriguing manga. Can't wait for the second volume.
March 24, 2012
O mito de ícaro é reconstruído num registo cyberpunk attavés de uma colaboração entre Moebius e Taniguchi. Como se espera destes mestres, a criação é sólida e a ilustração sedutura, mergulhando-nos num mundo fantástico hiper-tecnológico sob a estética nipónica da elegância industrial. Sendo um cruzamento entre bande dessiné e manga, estilisticamente está mais próximo do estilo japonês do que do europeu. Fascina pelos panoramas industriais em linha clara que enchem o olhar do leitor.
June 1, 2009
Lemayanlaaaah...ceritanya cepat
Makasih buat bung tomo atas pinjamannya
Makasih buat bung tomo atas pinjamannya
April 24, 2013
Still haven't read part 2. I'm assuming there is a part 2? Hard to make any judgement until then. Interesting start to a story, but need to see where it goes.
May 7, 2016
Ѳղܲ on the cover attracted me to this one. It was a total waste of time. Some good art hence the 2*. Story deserves a 0.
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