Whenever an epic comics series comes to an end, I’m always amazed at the sheer volume of work the creator produced—and the discipline required to churn out that material day after day, week after week, year after year. In an age where American comics creators rarely work on a particular series for more than a year or two, think of the commitment to producing something like Gantz, a series now winding up with the release of its 37th and final collected volume.
Hiroya Oku first began the creation of Gantz in the last century and completed the series in Japan in 2013. With the series running over 7500 pages, that’s about ten pages a week for fourteen years. I find it almost impossible to imagine producing that volume of work, and the determination required to carry through a vision that expansive for that length of time.
In fact, when I look at Oku’s work, I sometimes can’t fathom the amount of effort that goes into a single page! Gantz conjures one of the most immersive, detailed, convincing realities in the history of comics. When the word “epic” is used, Gantz more than fits the bill—its apocalyptic tale of war between humans and bizarre alien invaders takes readers on an utterly unique journey that, as they say in sports, leaves everything on the field. Read Gantz and you’ll feel like you were never shortchanged, never left with anything less than the best its author had to give.
That’s rare, and I’m a little sad to see Gantz reach the end. Luckily, I can always go back and read it all over again—starting now!
—Chris Warner
Senior Editor