Benkei in New York #[nn]

Jiro Taniguchi's cover art sets a moody, film-noir tone with a close-up portrait of a sharp-featured man smoking a cigarette, rendered in cool blue tones that immediately signal this is a story steeped in urban atmosphere. Published by Viz in 2001 as part of their Pulp Graphic Novel line, *Benkei in New York* brings together Jinpachi Mori's story and Taniguchi's precise, cinematic linework in what promises to be a gritty slice of life far from home. If you appreciate manga that draws as much from hardboiled fiction as it does from thoughtful character study, this one belongs on your shelf.