Sky Doll: Decade

Former Disney animators Barbucci and Canepa created this French SF series in the late 1990s after creating the smash hit W.I.T.C.H., and this series has gained a sizable following as well. This is the first English collection of the first four volumes. Noa is a robot doll invented to pleasure others, who finds out she wants a life of her own and falls in with Jehu and Roy, emissaries of the evil Popessa. Roy, a sensitive, innocent sort, becomes enamored with Noa, and their connection deepens as their space ship visits the Aqua Planet and the White Planet, skimming close to death, getting tangled in riots, and crossing swords with the Popessa herself. This book has very strong characterizations, and every figure, down to the smallest monster pet, pops to life and feels engagingly real. The art is beautiful, although the sexuality—mixing manga fan service and the sexy SF tradition of Barbarella—can be off-putting. It’s easy to see why this series has remained popular by mixing multileveled satire with satisfying adventures. (Mar.)