“Entire villages are going up in flames across the globe, with the same man left standing at the scene every time. Meanwhile, rumors abound of a highly contagious virus where those infected fly into a blind rage, killing anything and everything that crosses their path. As the death toll rises, agencies from nations around the world get together, looking for answers-How are these incidents connected? Who is that man? And most importantly…can the massacres be stopped before humanity is doomed?” (Yen Press)
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“King of Eden”, offers a somewhat traditional take on the zombie genre, one that is steeped in influences from western culture. This is not only reflected in the locations that the manga takes place, but also in a narrative approach that puts an emphasis on character development over scares. As a result, the manga feels geared towards the new resurgence of the zombie genre in the west with titles like “The Walking Dead” and subsequent spin offs and related media. Thankfully, the series does its best to avoid redundancy, with the first volume doing a wonderful job to take its own spin on the zombie genre while creating some intriguing personas to guide the narrative.
Where the series deviates slightly from the traditional zombie is in the heightened abilities it gives its creatures, as well creating apex predator's which have some command over the hoards. The narrative does this by reframing the zombie-like creatures as victims of an ancient virus called the ‘wolf virus', which feeds of rage turning the creatures against one another as well. Furthermore, there are those that act to control the hordes, people gifted with immortality via an ancient evil. Essentially, these tweaks leave the reader with a zombie like creature that will feel familiar, while adding some interesting abilities to inject some strong action sequences and additional lore.
Deepening the sense of western influence in approach, there is an equal amount of focus on anthropology and politics closer related to American interests. In this approach writer Takashi Nagasaki's diligence in understanding and properly conveying this world is apparent. As a result, the additional focus on issues of terrorism, history and politics don't feel forced into the narrative, and the characters act as strong personalities working within the professions tied to their respective field.
Fans of Korean comics should also take note of this entry, since ‘Ignito' is a Korean artist. Consequently, the manga is sometimes listed as manhwa (The Korean equivalent), which is reflected in the overall presentation doing a good job of straddling the line between the two. Essentially, whether the reader wants to categorize the work of manhwa or manga rests with where one places importance in the overall presentation. Regardless of how the work is interpreted, the collaboration between the two talents makes for an interesting amalgamation of art and narrative.
“King of Eden”, while not re-inventing the genre, contains various attributes that still makes the release feel unique among the plethora of zombie titles. Additionally, the focus, and successful build-up of its characters makes for an immersive and inviting experience. The series may fall flat for those who prefer the focus to be entirely on violence and horror, but with releases like that being a dime-a-dozen, “King of Eden” is a refreshing take within a saturated market.
