Zombie Powder, Vol. 1

Gamma Akutabi is a master criminal ("class S-zero") with a chainsaw sword and a metal arm that allows him to catch bullets. He's also a Powder Hunter, which means he's chasing after the Rings of the Dead. If he finds 12 of them, he can make zombie powder, which resurrects the dead and grants the living immortality. He's joined in his quest by his partner, gun-toting, suit-wearing CT Smith, and John Elwood Shepherd, a young knife-thrower turned pickpocket who wants to resurrect his dead sister. The series originally appeared in the Japanese magazine Shonen Jump , but was canceled before it could be completed. If these first chapters are any indication, it's not hard to figure out why. Written and drawn by Kubo (Bleach! ), the promising setup is little more than an excuse for a series of mindless action scenes. Kube's art begins by doing some intriguing things with grayscale and shading, but quickly devolves into generic action sequences that sacrifice clear storytelling for dramatic, anatomically impossible poses. Combined with the already chaotic plot, the overall effect is like reading a hyperactive cartoonist's book after his Ritalin has run out. (Sept.)