You know a series is great when book 2 is better than book one and this series is so freaking awesome . We go back to more of the seven robots being destroyed. We also get to see a little bit of the character Astro boy (he’s actually called Atom, which is explained in the back). You could pick this up without having read book number one but number one makes it quite a bit better and gosh dang that I can’t wait for book 3 and four time to go put them on hold ( )

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002” by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is the second book in an eight-book science fiction manga series Pluto. The whole series is based on “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” the most popular story arc in Astro Boy series by a legendary manga master Osamu Tezuka.

After realizing that the mysterious killer is after the seven great robots of the world, detective Gesicht sets on a mission to warn each of the targets personally. When Gesicht meets Atom, a.k.a. Astro Boy, Atom reads through Gesicht’s memory chip in order to help move the case forward. Meanwhile, another one of the seven great robots of the world, Brando, decides to face the villain on his own.

THUMBS UP:

1) It’s getting interesting…
“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002” is as quick and entertaining as the first book in the series; plus, the speed of the story is picking up as the puzzle pieces slowly start coming together.

2) Background information.
In my review of “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001,” I complained that the protagonist, detective Gesicht, is rather boring. Although in the second volume he is still quite passive, it looks like there is more to his story than it seems at the beginning. In “Pluto, Volume 002” the authors also reveal some background details about the political climate in Pluto world, making the story more plausible and much more engaging.

3) More realistic.
While reading the first volume, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the premise of humanlike robots. Well, I might have gotten used to the idea, but I also think that in the second book it is presented more realistically, and the authors even offer some explanation (robots mimic people in hopes of becoming more humanlike, and in most successful cases the line between man and robot starts to blur).

COULD BE BETTER:

1) Static and colorless illustrations.
No matter how gorgeous Urasawa’s artwork is, I still find it too static for a comic book (see my previous review for a more detailed comment). Plus, the ten first pages with colored illustrations look SO MUCH better than the rest of book, which is in black and white…

VERDICT: 3.5 out of 5

“Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 002” by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki is more realistic and even more engaging than the first volume, though I really wish the illustrations were colorful and more dynamic. Anyways, on to the next volume, woot woot! ( )

This is fine for what it is. I guess it's just not my thing. I don't need to read anymore in this series. ( )

This series is not something you can just pass up if you are a manga reader, beginner or veteran. The characters are believable, the art is fantastic and best of all, the story is incredible. This second volume brings more to light regarding the mysterious murders and offers more look into Atom himself.

I would feel very sad for anyone who passed this up. ( )