Steam Detectives is a work that borrows from numerous works and styles. It’s a fun and thrilling Manga, unafraid of using ideas to create it’s own work. It owes a lot to Batman and Steampunk classics for many elements of it’s plot and style. Though it is not always the most creative, the dialogue is at times campy; the content filled the stories and, villains are imaginative and entertaining. Something about it is appealing to me despite the problems and it is miles ahead of many Manga that are released currently with more original content.
One of the reasons I first was interested in reading this work was the art. The art is hard to describe, it has a very unusual art style that works well for it. The art style is very cartoonish, but in a different way then in a Tezuka manga. This style allows for complex facial expression and good dimensional prospective, but it also limits the sense of mobility within the images. The backgrounds in this story are hit and miss; many times they are absent or just shades of black and/or action lines. Other time the backgrounds are incredibly detailed, when they are they do a great job creating the mood of the story. When drawn in the backgrounds combined elements of Film noire, with Steampunk a match that works both seamlessly and perfectly for Steam Detectives story. The paneling is also done with care a special care and, is creatively employed to pace the story. The most creative element of this entire manga though lies in the print articles. The articles appear throughout the manga, they give details to the story, background on characters, are number in order and, even include fake ads. The art in Steam Detectives has its share of problem, but it is easy to over look them with all the good elements of the work.
The art is definitely is the strongest and most creative element of the work, the story of the work is the weakest and least original element of Steam Detectives. Despite being the weakest element Steam Detectives story is a decent one. The story style borrows from Batman many elements. The story revolves around the wealth boy detective Narutaki, whose parents were murdered by villainous Phantom Knight (who looks a lot like a evil Batman). Where the story mainly differs from Batman, is that Narutaki is that he is accompanied by the cute nurse sidekick Ling Ling and, her Megamaton robot Goriki created by her deceased father. Throughout the story he develops a rogue’s gallery of villains including his rival a master thief Le Bread, the evil nurse Lang Lang who is also Ling Ling’s sister and, at the same time Le breads lover, the mad scientist Dr. Guilty bend who is bent on destroying Goriki with his own megamatons, the female thief and master of disguise Red Scorpion and, Machine Baron a man obsessed with machines and who always is attempting to capture Goriki. Many of the stories have a much lighter tone then the typical Batman and, corny comedy is usually played up for laughs (many times with pop culture references) in a similar way to the anime Sherlock Hound. The dialogue at times is so bad or overtop that it’s humorous and resembles early super hero comics. For the most part this style works Steam Detectives advantage, though it can sometimes get in the way of the story. If your looking for new ground or, manga consistently as dark as comics like Batman you may find yourself disappointed. However, if you can deal with the camp and, don’t mind the borrowed story the plot is pretty interesting.
Just like in Batman it is the characters that set really create the interest in the work more then the actual story. Narutaki is likable and clever character; he has a more interesting personality then Bruce Wayne, because he isn’t constantly brooding upon his parent’s death. He still lacks as much personality as the villains, but for a comic book style hero he works well. Ling Ling doesn’t have much personality and is mostly used as a damsel in distress or for lighthearted comedy relief, but at least isn’t used for as a love interest or eye candy like many other women in comics. Le Bread and Lang Lang make for good rivals Narutaki and Ling Ling. Le Bread is clever arrogant, vein and clever, Lang Lang lacks the warm of Ling Ling and acts like promiscuous dominatrix. These traits suggest they suggest like Joker in Batman, that Le Bread and Lang Lang very are similar to the heroes, but they take the dark path of crime. The most dark of the villains Phantom Knight seeks revenges on Narutaki and Steam City claiming that Narutaki’s father killed his father. Phantom Knight is willing do anything to destroy Narutaki and the city he protects. Red Scorpion’s stories are interesting cat and mouse games between Narutaki and her within disguise. The Machine Barron also loves to use costumes and, it’s fun to watch his obsessive quests for machinery. He isn’t as interesting as some of the other villains however his neat costume and, the fact that he isn’t in many stories makes this okay. The most boring of the villains is the mad scientist Dr. Guilty who is simply bent on destroying the detective agency and Goriki, even his named is cliché (though I think this wasn’t done by accident). It is the villains that make this story so interesting and, it is clear that without the unique nature of the villains the story would be dull on it’s own.
This manga is carried by the creative nature of its art and villains. It parallels the Batman story in many ways, but has a much bigger emphasis on comedy and camp. Steam Detectives for the most part is not deep, however it is enjoyable manga in much the way a good American comic can be. If you enjoy Batman, but are sick of the extremely serious and soap operatic treatment of him currently, you’ll love this manga. If it sounds enjoyable it’s worth picking up, though it is hard to find this book now that it is out of print. I wouldn’t spend too much to pick it up, but if you can find a copy online or in stores for a reasonable price I suggest picking it up.
