An unlikely character takes the stage in “I Am a Hero,” Kengo Hanazawa’s horror thriller manga series.

Hideo Suzuki is an assistant artist for a small manga studio, has a loving girlfriend named Tetsuko “Tekko” Kurokawa and is plagued by hallucinations everyday. He tried to keep calm and maintain normality with a number of “rituals” and his personal mantra, “I am a hero.” It all went awry the day he took his gun out for the gun club’s firing practice session after he witnessed a strange car accident a few nights ago.  A simple stroll to Tekko’s apartment drastically turned into a chase through chaotic disaster. No place seemed safe with so many zombies feeding on anyone they can gnaw on.

Hanazawa’s third series gives fans a different lens of perspective on the zombie apocalypse compared to some of the more well-known titles such as “The Walking Dead,” possibly closely relating to himself.
The comic features attention to detail, especially to the process of actions that gives a realistic sense of motion. Hanazawa even created some of the scenes to play out like cinematic frames. Another aspect of realism is the fact Suzuki is the owner of firearm license and weapon. Not many would have either in their possession due to the strict laws on having weapons.

This manga is clearly not for the faint of heart or those that do not like mature content. While blood and missing limbs are almost in every page, there are some discussions concerning sexual issues and activity in a few chapters. “I Am a Hero” is definitely for older readers, but worth checking out.

Dark Horse chose to publish the manga as omnibuses with its first collection that combines volumes one and two. According to the publisher’s site, darkhorse.com, the next volume will hit shelves in early October. Director Shinsuke Sato created a live movie adaptation of the series that hit Japanese theaters late April. It is unknown for any possible U.S. screenings or other outlets for American fans, but they can kill time with the book.

Originally posted on
CNN