Mobile Suit Gundam Walpurgis

Gundam Walpurgis is a story nostalgic for Zeta, an unusual quality in a medium saturated with tales set during the One-Year War. I'm not complaining though - this has good art and a story just good enough to see it to the end. The primary focus is on the 'big 3' power players of Zeta: Char Aznable, Haman Karn, and Paptimus Scirocco. In most Gundam side stories, that last guy gets overshadowed by the other two, big time. Here, he's the star of the show. This puts Walpurgis in an unusual niche - it focuses on one of the more unpopular Gundam villains for tenvolumes, but manages to pull it off rather smoothly. The art is of solid quality and so is the story, imitating Tomino's writing in Zeta competently, even if the finer nuances from that series are missing. The politics and worldbuilding are retained, and I rarely found myself bored. If I had to criticize one aspect of it, it would be the focus on cyber newtypes: it's an aspect of the setting that has been done to death, and Walpurgis does nothing new or interesting to warrant one's full attention. The characters follow tried and true archetypes and the battles are of good construction, and the mediocrity of the story is often drawn away from by copious mobile suit fan service. Gundam manga, with few exceptions, has a consistent combination: weak story, great art, and plenty of post-story illustrations of mobile suits. Walpurgis follows the same trend to a more polished degree, with plenty of eye candy to distract the reader. If you're a fan of The Universal Century's Gryps Conflict, this is assuredly a must-read. Fans of the aforementioned villains Char, Haman, and Paptimus are sure to dine well here, too. All in all, this is a manga for diehard fans of Gundam.