Month: July 2026

The One Hand & The Six Fingers – Review

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Two interconnected stories by two authors about the same mystery. The One Hand by Ram V follows day-of-retirement detective Ari Nasser realising he has to solve one last case that he thought he’d closed twice before. The Six Fingers by Dan Watters follows down-and-out archaeology student Johannes Vale realising he stepped on something cataclysmic and scrambling to figure out what to do. A fascinating attempt to blend the different styles of these up-and-coming writers into one cohesive narrative with different art styles. One Hand is illustrated by Laurence Campbell who presents his half as a rain-soaked detective drama while Sumit Kumar’s more expressive and cartoonish style that fits the story of a lanky student realising needs to start looking for the exit.

The central hook of a mystery is strong, Nasser must solve not just this new string of copycat killings but find out why this repeated pattern of death is part of his life. Meanwhile Vale experiences the other side of the case and experiences civilian life in Neo Novena until things start to go wrong.  Unfortunately, the ending feels incredibly limp. Historically I have enjoyed every Ram V book and find his style of prose enjoyable. Yet, for all the very interesting ideas he explores and his talent for homaging something while still having a unique approach, it never converges into a satisfying ending. I have less experience with Waters, outside his very solid Coffin Bound series. He marries the big ideas with his lead character’s anger and panic well with a major asset from Kumar. Yet he is still unable to reach a strong conclusion and I find his handling of characters outside of the Vale more questionable. A detective story can end with disappointment or rob the audience of catharsis as the truth becomes a bitter pill to swallow.  While it is an interesting experiment The One Hand & The Six Fingers does not end with something engaging in its lack of satisfaction. The ending is a dull set of revelations bolstered by the art team. My only hope by the end is that this does not represent the wider bibliographies of either of these creators and I have just been unlucky so far.

The Ghost in the Shell (2026) Preview – The Future is Old

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I had the good fortune of seeing the first two episodes of the latest instalment of the Ghost in the Shell franchise in a cinema. The animation studio Science Saru (who have recently adapted the series Dandadan to much acclaim) are very passionate about the project. The extra behind-the-scenes featurette that played once Episode 2 ended provided a lot of insight into their motivations for the series. In addition to the animation and music, the interviews also made it clear the staff have very different connections to the wider franchise and for many of them it is a life-long fascination. Script writer EnJoe Toh in particular loves not just Masamune Shirow’s original 1989 comic series but also the author’s other works as well (other members of staff reference Appleseed as their first exposure to Shirow’s style). EnJoe’s approach seems to be to not just adapt the original manga but also try to keep it in harmony with Shirow’s other works. Does this mean later episodes will draw influence from Black Magic? Are Science Saru quietly signalling to the world they want to keep adapting Masamune Shirow once they finish The Ghost in the Shell? We can certainly speculate and hope so.

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Heart Gear Volume 7 by Tsuyoshi Takaki

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After building some astonishing momentum across two volumes Tsuyoshi Takaki concludes Heart Gear with a sudden stop and a sharp pivot. Jettisoning every conceivable subplot for the sake of resolving the main story as quickly as possible. Roue enters Heaven Land and sees a new world unlike anything she’s encountered for the second time. At its best the final volume offers some slow and meditative for the last girl on Earth as she sees the peak of human development before the collapse. There is a sense of unease different from tension or danger. Out of all the robotic Gears in the series the staff of Heaven Land are the most mechanical. Being flatly unable to hinder or undermine Roue’s choices as they are humanity’s most loyal (though most critical) servants.  So what happens in the finale cannot be a direct confrontation and must play in an unconventional manner. The slow ponderous tone makes for a sharp departure from the excitement built up previously.  And while it is interesting to see Takaki experiment this way it is just watching a cute girl in a zoo think about things until it comes time to make a simple binary choice. 

My concern that some members of the expanded cast would denied closure for their storylines was naive. It did not account for the possibility of all of them would be denied any form of closure or any input in the final volumes.  At this point the series hinges absolutely everything on finding a resolution to Roue’s adventure with every single character who could divert attention away from it being tossed out the back door.  This gamble fails as the conclusion ultimately invalidates the entire conflict that has driven the series and this final arc. 

It is almost commendable watching Takaki pursue brevity at every cost.  Based on his own commentary in the final volume and how he is manically attempting to flush out Rock the Camera’s backstory in-between chapters through text pieces – he knew that he could have accomplished more. Yet he felt compelled to cross the finish line as soon as possible while still trying his hardest to remain true to the seires’ core purpose as best he can.  Covering this series has been a rollercoaster of energetic highs and quite miserable lows.  The art can always be appreciated and stuffed with tiny nuances worth examining. And you can empathise with how the creator’s health had an unfortunate impact on his output. Volumes 3, 5 and 6 were all strong in their own ways. Yet Heart Gear unfortunately proves incapable of building on those strengths. And it does unfortunately sour of the experience overall.