All You Need Is Kill TPPublisher: Haikasoru
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Price: $14.99
Creator(s): Hiroshi Sakurazaka (Writer), Lee Ferguson (Illustrator), Nick Mamatas (Adapted by)
Format: 96 pgs., Full-Color, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9-781-4215-6081-6
Age Rating: 15+
ICv2 Rating: 2 stars out of 5
For months I've been hearing about the upcoming live action adaptation of the original novel All You Need Is Kill which will be starring Tom Cruise. The story always sounded like something that I would like and so when the opportunity to review the graphic novel adaptation came around I was excited for the chance.
In this book, a soldier from Japan is fighting in a war against an alien race and dies tragically in one of the battles along with everyone else fighting in the battle. Only he doesn't go to any kind of afterlife after he dies, instead he wakes up in his bed and relives the same day... over and over again. It's kind of like Groundhog Day except with aliens and war. On each of these days he meets an American soldier nicknamed the "Full Metal Bitch" and realizes that she is the key to his salvation. He's not sure how, but he knows that she is the one who will be able to help him break his endless loop.
What I found after reading the less than 100 page adaptation is that this is something that you'll want to read only if you're looking for the bare bones, no frills story synopsis that includes the ending and a couple of lead characters. Very few, if any, side characters will be introduced to the reader and very little of the story that you do see within these pages will be elaborated on. This version of the original book and movie is as condensed as it could possibly be with absolutely zero filler.
The artwork in this book done by Lee Ferguson is passable to be sure and Nick Mamatas does manage to fit in the major plot points within 96 pages which should be praised by someone.
If you're looking to actually understand the plot completely and learn all about these characters and their motivations, you'll want to stick with the original novel. As I said though, if you don't have the patience for that or just want very basic details to give you an idea of what you're getting into than this adaptation will do you just fine.
-- L.B. Bryant
