Review by Frank Plowright

Gantz/17 ended by setting up a possible battle of the titans as Muscle Man Rider was set to take on the final morphing alien, and Hiroya Oku gives the resulting action due prominence. The number of spreads is higher than usual, the number of full page illustrations is higher than usual and the number of two panel pages is higher than usual. Everything is designed for maximum visual impact as two equally strong beings have at each other. It’s the equivalent of Thor vs. the Hulk and both are shown as greatly enjoying it. Unusually for the series this battle is clearly visible to bystanders generally unaware of what’s happening around them.

A wonder of Gantz is how Oku can keep escalating the thrills. What at first seems the greatest battle the series has delivered evolves into an even greater threat. When Oku’s used that device in the past it’s often seemed as if the story’s being artificially prolonged, but not in this case. There’s also an element of mystery sustained by observers briefly discussing what’s going on, then departing when they consider the outcome a forgone conclusion.

We should perhaps expect that there’s no definitive finish here, although the pendulum only seems to be swinging one way, and the actual conclusion occurs in Gantz/19. This has been an astounding volume, especially visually, and it’s difficult to see how Oku will manage to top it in future. Mind you, we’ve said that before. This is just about the halfway point for a series running to 37 volumes, so there’s still a long way to go yet. Great!

This is all available as part of Gantz Omnibus 6, where the smaller size of the artwork may impact more than usual.