Set early in the 22nd century, against the backdrop of a post near apocalyptic world, comes Masamunie Shirow's Appleseed. Deunan Knute, the only daughter of a career special ops soldier, and her cyborg companion Briareos, have made due in the badlands until they are recruited to immigrate to the Utopian city of Olympus; a new, independent state set up on an artificial island. Amid the chaos of old world super powers and terrorist wars, they are the new beacon of hope for civilization.Or, are they?
Once within the cover of the protective city, revelations of genetic engineering, political maneuvering, and clandestine forces find Deunan and Bri caught in the scheming crossfire of divided factions fighting for control of the city, and the very nature of mankind, itself.
As typical with all of Shirow's work, the story is ripe with plot twists, political commentary, and action. For the art, it, too, is full of the usual Shirow level quality; with lush, detailed cityscapes, as well as comprehensive mech, blazing weaponry, and rich urban sprawl. The main cast of players are well layered, each with his or her own history; and interact with each other very engagingly.
The only negative thing I can really say about this title is that, after four collected volumes, it's been left hanging. And, it's been hanging for a while, now. Though there have been a couple of small back up releases and the end of 2007, at this time Shirow has no immediate plans to pick up the story.
Volumes 1 - 4, plus "Hypernotes" are avaialable from Dark Horse comics in B&W perfect bound format books, ranging in page count and price.
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