Thanks to Emma and her pen, the residents of Goldy Pond can finally figure out what Mr. Minerva set up for them so many years ago. Emma finds the true Goldy Pond, not the hunting ground facade that she first discovered, and within, there is much revealed about The Promise set up between the humans and demons generations ago, as well as important background details on Mr. Minerva himself. Unfortunately, Goldy Pond is another dead end, and Emma and the rest of the children have to fight their way past some of the worst demons if they are going to continue their journey towards the Human World.
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Illustrated by Ian Bertram, colored by Matt Hollingsworth
Little Bird's village comes under attack from the American Empire, but her mom has a great plan: squirrel her away until the violence is over, then set her on freeing a great warrior named Axe. Axe will save the people, and save the North, aka Canada, the last bastion of resistance against the Empire. Little Bird's family lineage is not what she was originally led to believe, and the Bishop who's coming after her now has more secrets than all of them combined.
We begin with the conclusion of Iku's parents visiting, in which Iku finds an advocate in an unlikely place. Next, we are introduced to Marie, a young woman who has a condition that is destroying her hearing. She is friends and neighbors with Instructor Komaki, and he always finds the right book to recommend to her. In her latest visit, Komaki recommends a book with a heroine suffering from the same condition. Bystanders at Marie's school report Komaki because they think he is cruel for giving her a book that focuses on her deafness, and officials forcibly remove Komaki for questioning and investigating into the alleged "abuse" of a disabled person. Of course, Iku can't wait for the rest of the squad to come up with the plan to save Komaki, so she puts things in motion for herself. In the Bonus manga of this volume, there is a story of a Publisher Party where the Library forces are providing security. Iku ruins her clothes, so she has to borrow a dress and get all dolled up, and she doesn't understand why all the men are hitting on her!
Illustrated by Posuka Demizu
Mister tests out the survival skills of Emma and Ray by leading them into a deadly situation with plenty of man-eating demons. Afterwards, Emma decides to have a heart to heart with Mister about all the pain he’s been feeling for years since his friends died. Mister leads Emma and ray into a trap, which he is regretful for because Emma was getting through to him! Emma ways up in a strange village with other children, which turns out to be a secret demon hunting ground. Ray convinces Mister to lead him to Goldy Pond to rescue Emma from being hunted, and Emma does what she does best - tries to save all the other children from becoming demon food.
Iku's parents come to visit her at work, but there's a huge problem - they think she is a noncombatant working as a Library Clerk. With the help of Instructor Dojo and Asako, Iku works both days on Clerk shifts, and they all might be able to convince her parents that she does indeed work as a Clerk. They just have to stay clear of Komaki, who doesn't believe in lying, but has promised to take shifts in the records room, far away from Iku and her parents. This deceit eats away at Iku, especially because she just got off a successful mission to save the general of the Library Forces, but she can't be truthful about the part she played!
Illustrated by Posuka Demizu
The children at last arrive at the coordinates given to them by William Minerva, and they found a shelter, but the adult living inside is definitely not William Minerva! He also refuses to tell them his name or share his resources with the kids from Grace Field House - he calls them weak and says they'll all die anyway, and he doesn't want to waste anything. But the kids prove they're at least smarter than him, and come to a tenuous agreement. While the kids get to work creating renewable foods and trying to keep the shelter sustainable, Emma and Ray want Mister (Emma's name for him) to help them find the real William Minerva. That means leaving the comfort and safety of the shelter, and there's no guarantee he'll step in and save either one if the demons come after them.
This story begins in the year 2125, years after a strange plague called Cagaster has broken out and wiped out 2/3rds of the human population. This plague turns infected humans into giant, human-eating bugs. Kidow is an exterminator, tasked with killings infected humans and bugs alike. On an expedition, Kidow stumbles upon a father and daughter who had been attacked by bugs. The father is past saving, but he makes Kidow promise to take his daughter back to the city, E-05. Kidow gets Ilie a job at the boarding house and restaurant where he stays, and the owner, Mario, quickly takes a liking to Ilie’s positive attitude. Mario sends Ilie on an errand that has her tangled with the Mouse Brigade, a band of orphans-turned-pick-pockets. Meanwhile, a dark and mysterious stranger is targeting exterminators and killing them in brutal ways, and Kidow might be the next target!
Adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings
Lauren is a teenager living in a walled-in community in the middle of a dystopian LA basin. Society has collapsed, and the outside world is full of scavengers, prostitutes, drug addicts, murderers, and violent criminals. Police could come and investigate, but it costs money. Lauren also “suffers” from hypersensitivity - she can feel the pain, or pleasure, of others. After a night of unrest forces Lauren from her home, she decides to travel north where water isn’t as expensive and there might be some work. She also plans on founding a community dedicated to Earthseed, her belief in a God as Change, amongst other ideologies. Along the road, Lauren picks up strangers who travel together for safety, but may one day believe in Earthseed.
The Museum of Information is closing because it’s founder passed away. In his will, he left a treasure trove of documents, records, and books to the Library. The MBC can’t raid personal libraries, but now that it’s in the hands of the Library, they are free to go after it! Iku has been “benched” and is attending the funeral as the Director’s body guard, all because she has yet to tell her parents she’s a combatant, and this fight will surely be televised. Meanwhile, Tezuka and Instructor Dojo are on the front lines moving C-trains full of information from the Museum to the Library while MBC soldiers close in.
Illustrated by Posuka Demizu
We finally get some much-needed reveal as to why the world is the way it is with farms such as Grace Field House, and, of course, it makes things look bleak for our heroes. The band is miraculously saved from pursuers and deadly demons by a duo of altruistic demons who don’t eat humans for religious reasons. The two teach the kids how to cook and teach Emma how to hunt with a bow and arrow. We learn the reason behind the flower that we see sticking out of dead things throughout the series, and it's actually a nice symbol rather than something perverse. In the end, the kids finally make it to the coordinates they've been moving towards, but what they find is not what they expected at all. |
About MeI've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students. Search this siteRatings, Audience, and Subject Tags
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