Other Info:
Battle Angel Alita is available in two editions - the first is
larger in size and is printed left to right, whereas the second is
smaller, cheaper and printed right to left. The series was also
available as a monthly comic in the US. In Japan the series has
been reissued in a series of six 'Complete Edition' books which
also contain the Gunnm Gaiden series (see below) and reams of 'Tech
Notes', which effectively make up a Battle Angel Alita
encyclopaedia. Some of the Tech Notes were included in the
original Japanese manga release and were also in the Spanish version,
but more were added especially for the Japanese Complete Editions.
None of these notes are officially available in English.
Last Order is a sequel to the original series which ends it as
Yukito Kishiro originally intended. We would recommend reading the
original series before starting this one as it follows and refers to
events from the previous series. It is printed right to left, and
most of volume 1 was also published as a monthly comic in the US before
Viz Communications discontinued the format in late 2003.
Ashen Victor doesn't actually feature Alita (as far as we
know) but it is set in the Battle Angel Alita universe, hence its
inclusion here. The single volume focuses on the sport 'Motorball'
(which bears more than a passing resemblance to the Rollerball
sport from the film of the same name) and is printed left to right.
Gunnm Gaiden was a series side stories that
Yukito Kishiro created for Japanese magazine UltraJump after his
two year hiatus. The series is currently only available in Japan,
where it has also been reprinted in the first, second and fourth volumes
of the Gunnm Complete Edition books.
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Availability:
Viz still have problems with importing their titles to the UK
following licensing issues raised a couple of years ago. This
said, most larger comic shops stock both Last Order and the
second edition of Battle Angel Alita for around £7 per volume,
and they are widely available online too - check out the likes of
Anime-On-Line
and Amazon.
The first editions of Battle Angel Alita are more difficult to
get hold of but can still be found in comic shops, expect to pay around
£12 per volume. Ashen Victor is pretty difficult to get
hold of but some comic shops may still have a copy in stock, expect to
pay around £12 if you find a volume. Gunnm Gaiden and the
Tech Notes are unavailable in English, although it is probable
that Viz will look into releasing them once Last Order
finishes. You may be able to find fan translated copies online but
if you can read Japanese, or just want to look at the character sketches
and timelines, the Gunnm Complete Editions will set you back
around £25 a piece (they are big books) -
YesAsia have them
in stock and also offer free shipping to the UK.
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