Zombie Powder

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Zombie Powder
ゾンビパウダー
(Zonbi Paudā)
Genre Science fiction, Western, Comedy, Action
Manga
Author Tite Kubo
Publisher Flag of Japan Shueisha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Flag of Japan Weekly Shōnen Jump
Original run 1999 – 2000
Volumes 4

Zombie Powder (ゾンビパウダー Zonbi Paudā?) is an unfinished manga and the first work of Tite Kubo, author of the popular series Bleach. Zombie Powder began its serialization in 1999.

Zombie Powder ran a short 27 chapters (compiled into 4 tankōbon beginning in February of 2000) in Weekly Shōnen Jump before its cancellation. According to the coverleaf of the third tankōbon, the author was in a state of severe emotional trauma when he wrote it, which may have contributed to the cancellation. Another possible cause of the cancellation was a low number of fan letters, which publishers sometimes use as a gauge of popularity in the manga industry. Ironically enough, Western fan support for the manga allowed for its distribution in North America.

Zombie Powder was licensed by VIZ Media and the first volume was released in America in September 2006 with the last released in June 2007.

Contents

[edit] Setting and plot

Zombie Powder has a futuristic-western setting, similar to that of Trigun. The story begins in 716 A.E. The signs on buildings are in English, but some characters speak Spanish, Russian, and Italian phrases.

Most characters in the manga are "powder hunters" searching for the legendary "Zombie Powder". It can make the dead come back to life and make the living immortal, much like the philosopher's stone. However, to obtain the zombie powder one needs to collect the eleven Rings of the Dead. The Rings of the Dead use life energy from anything living to create the Zombie Powder. If a Ring eats a human, that person will fall into a coma. The person will be in that state until he or she dies. Due to the abrupt ending of the manga, the appearance of the Zombie Powder remains unknown, although it may look like white powder that forms a skull with glowing blue eyes[1].

[edit] Manga chapters

Volume One - D.I.B.A. (Death In a Black Arm)

  • track.1/ THE YOUNG BOY AND THE BLACK RIGHT ARM
  • track.2/ BAPTISM BY FIRE
  • track.3/ C.T. SMITH
  • track.4/ shakin' edges& smokin' barrels
  • TRACK.5/face behind the mask.
  • track.6/ Deceiving Jet Joe
  • track.7/ BLACKFIRED.

Volume Two - Can't Kiss The Ring (Of The Dead.)

  • track.8/ Search & Bangaway
  • track.9/ Tripod of Justice
  • track.10/ WOLFINA (Has No Lips for Tell You)
  • track.11/ ROCKER&MYSTIC
  • track.12/ The Ring Of The Dead (My Love Feeds On You)
  • track.13/ The Birdcage Evergreen
  • track.14/ killercircus.

Volume Three - Pierce Me Standing<In The Firegarden>

  • track.15/ DIVISIONS.
  • track.16/ FLAMEDIVER.
  • Track.17/ The Hyena is calling (Craze & Triggerhappy)
  • track.18/ Birdcage Evergreen X append selfdemonizer mix.
  • track.19/ excoriated the Black Butterfly
  • track.20/ Can't Howl My Innerjesus.
  • track.21/ No Hesitate, No Fear.

Volume Four - Walk This Nameless Way/Like a ZOMBIE/

  • track.22/ lay your heart on me.
  • TRACK.23/ CageBreaker3
  • track.24/But still livin' under the Sky.
  • Zombiepowdersnow.
  • track.25/ BADFINGER:BITCHANGEL
  • track.26/beLIEve.
  • track for cut down/the nameless way
  • zombiepowderextra./sleeping with vertigo.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Major

  • Gamma Akutabi (芥火完真（ガンマ） Akutabi Ganma?)
The protagonist, Gamma, is a 22 year-old powder hunter. He has metal plating on his right hand and arm, which also extends up his neck to his cheek. He fights with a chainsword and has mastered Karin Zanjutsu (火輪斬術? lit., Fire-Ring Cutting Technique), an art learned from the East. In its 2,000-year history, only 15 have mastered it. This technique usually takes an average of 32 years to master; however, Gamma mastered it in four. Those who master it are surrounded by a black flame of bloodlust. These flames allow him to perform special attacks with his sword (creating fire chains and black wings). Gamma is the last heir of the Karin Zanjutsu. He seeks the Zombie Powder for immortality (for an unknown reason). As a powder hunter, Gamma has a price of 960,000,000 niit on his head. He also seems to have some relation to a woman in black (who only appears in the last few chapters of the manga); her name is revealed by Tasha as Tatena, whose grave lies in the back of the home of Nazna Gemini's laboratory.
  • John Elwood Shepherd (ジョン・エルウッド・シェパード Jon Eruuddo Shepādo?)
Elwood is a 13-year-old pickpocket who fights with knives. His family used to own a shop until it was destroyed by a gang. After this event, he joined a group of bandits known as the "Grey Ants" to earn money to fix the heart of his sister, Sheryl Ann. He left the bandits when the bandits' leader, Kinqro Mujata, killed her. He wants to use the Zombie Powder to resurrect his sister. He is abandoned by Smith and Gamma at the end of the fourth volume. It is stated by C.T. Smith that Elwood is similar to a young Gamma. Gamma states that it is up to Elwood himself if he will get the Zombie Powder or not as they abandon him.
  • C.T. Smith (Ｃ．Ｔ．スミス C.T. Sumisu?)
The most mysterious member of the group, Smith is a gunman dressed like a London banker (although several fans say he looks like a salesman). He is the partner of Gamma Akutabi. To deceive his enemies, he sometimes fights Gamma to the point of almost killing him. C.T. Smith carries a briefcase adding to the "banker" look. Why he seeks the Zombie Powder is not revealed. His age is also a mystery. The C.T. in his name also has some significance. His favorite words are "D Cup".
  • Wolfgangina Lalla Getto (ウルフギャンギーナ・ララ・ジェット Urufgangīna Rara Jetto?)
Referred to as "Wolfina" (ウルフィーナ Urufīna?) for short; a female "journalist of justice". She uses a cannon shaped like a tripod that shoots the tripod's legs (the "Tripod of Justice") as her weapon. She writes articles about criminals and has successfully ruined the careers of many criminals. She is trying to save her brother Emilio, who is being devoured by a Ring of the Dead. In the last chapter of the manga, she offered to pay for her brother's operation. The price was giving herself to be used for one year in surgical experiments by Nazna.

[edit] Minor

  • Sheryl Ann Shepherd (シェリル・アン・シェパード?)

Elwood's older sister, who is twenty years old. Sheryl Ann suffers from a heart condition which makes her frail. On the surface she appears to have it together because she is calm, gentle, and educated. She does not ponder deeply about things and does not dwell on small details. She is also gullible and is not very good with financial matters. Her favorite foods are cream stew and meatloaf and she dislikes eggplant and mental arithmetic. She's also sensitive to cold weather. She is unaware of Elwood's affiliation with bandits until she is killed by Elwood's employer, Kinqro Mujata, leader of the "Grey Ants" bandit group. Kinqro shoots her in the back during a heated confrontation, killing her in front of Elwood.

  • Emilio Lufas Getto (エミリオ・ルーファス・ジェット?)

Emilio is Wolfina's younger brother. He has been in a coma ever since he accidentally found a Ring of the Dead when he was eight. He found the Ring of the Dead when Wolfina made him climb a tree to obtain it. At his touch, the Ring of the Dead attacked his hand and he slowly fell unconscious. He is now seventeen, and the ring is slowly eating him alive. In the last published chapter of the manga, Nazna and her assistants were beginning to perform an operation to remove the ring.

  • Ranewater Calder

Calder is a sadistic and narcissistic man who leads the Ash Daughter gang. He uses the fictional drug "phenixsamin" to keep himself from looking old. He resembles a feminine boy. He seeks the Zombie Powder to become immortal and invincible. He uses a "jet ripper" sword as his weapon, which is a sword with a line of jets that fire. He dies after fighting Gamma.

  • Baragne Binoix Bartoreuil Balmunk (バラーニュ・ビノワ・バルトルイユ・バルムンク?)

Leader of a group of bandits called "Khorosho", Balmunk is a psychopathic, mustachioed magician who goes by the title of "Mystic" (魔術師（ミスティック）?). Balmunk is a lover of leisure, who travels the world with a strange circus troupe. His favorite phrase is "Khorosho" ("good" in Russian; "wonderful" in the Japanese manga print), but for some reason everything else he says is in French. The spelling of his name is also reminiscent of French. Balmunk loves anything that's shocking, and hates anything that's not shocking. He loves to deal out punishment when the members of his troupe make a mistake. Although he subjects them to unimaginable torture, for some reason the troupe members seem to admire him. His hobby is collecting music boxes.

  • Nazna Gemini

The unpleasant head of the Gemini Laboratory. She is an extremely skilled scientist and surgeon with a nasty temperament. She has a long history with Gamma; she is possibly the one who fashioned his black-armored arm. Nazna also seems to have some relation to the "woman in black" named Tatena whose grave is in the back of her laboratory.

  • Angelle Belle Rose Cooney

A sometimes bratty but wise girl. She is in love with Gamma, who she met at the Gemini Laboratory. Perhaps as a result of experimenting at the laboratory, she is a strong fighter. She refers to herself as "The Lovely Young Psychic Savant." However, the fourth volume states that her powers are not psychic abilities and are closer related to Gamma's powers.

  • Amantine

A monster that Balmunk created by ripping off his right arm.

[edit] Differences between the English and Japanese versions

  • The cover of the second volume differs between the English and Japanese versions. The Japanese version contains an illustration of C.T. Smith holding a gun to his own head [1], while the English features Gamma scowling in a pair of sunglasses [2].

[edit] References

  1. ^ See chapter 1.

[edit] External links

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