Review of Poke'mon #1 and #2

"Pikachu, I See You"

Story and Art: Toshihiro Ono

Rewrite: Annette Roman

Touch Up Cover Art and Lettering: Cynthia Bergst

Translation and Editor: William Flanagan

Managing Editor: Hyoe Narita

Editor-in-Chief: Satoru Fujii

Publisher: Viz Comics

Here's what I think:

The plot in brief: A ten-year-old boy, Ash captures a Pikachu in his house and sets out to be a Poke'mon champion. Together they start out to capture other Poke'mon - but is adventure worth the price?

This comic does an excellent job of getting you involved with the characters, their mood, and the city they live in. Everyone is "Poke'mon" crazy. Poke'mon tornaments are shown on television. Ash's peers talk of nothing but who can do better at training Poke'mon. Yeah, I know, this comic is following on the coattaiils of the video game. If you can get past the video game hype, the comic book can still be enjoyable to read.

The story starts out in Pallet Town, where Ash finds a Pikachu, or "Electric Mouse" nibbling on the electrical wires in his house. He talks to a classmate, Gary, who has just obtained his "Poke'mon Trainer's License" and argues about who will be the best trainer. Ash meets Gary's sister May. May is very impressed that Ash will be a Poke'mon master some day.

Bouyed by May and goaded by Gary, Ash puts the Pikachu on a lease and goes out around town in search of other Pokemon. When Ash is unable to control him, Pikachu begins causing damage to property, Ash gets stopped by the police due to the damage and they want to see his Poke'mon Training license. The police let him off with a warning, but Ash is mighty embarasssed. He is also embarrassed because a more experienced trainer makes fun of him dragging Pikachu around on a leash.

While trying to catch a Fearow (A Flying Poke'mon), Ash becomes friends with Pikachu, but almost kills Pikachu in the process. They do capture the Fearow, and Ash"borrows" a bike to get Pikachu to the emergency room at the "Poke'mon Center."

Rest assured Pikachu is all right. As the girl comes back for her bike, the adventure continues....

The story and art are simple, but interesting. I think Ono does an excellent job of getting you involved in the sory through the facial expressions and Ash's reactions to each person he meets. I felt for Ash in his "struggle," as he faces common problems all ten-year-olds face, in addition to trying to accomplish his "Master

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