Title: Kingdom Hearts

Genre: Fantasy

Creator: Squaresoft/Disney

Story/Art: Shiro Amano

Company: Tokyopop

Publisher Info: 4 volumes, Authentic (right/left format)

Summary: Sora, Rikku, and Kairi are three children who live on the paradise-like Destiny Islands. They all have dreams of building a boat and sailing to new worlds. But one night, a storm hits the islands, and evil beings known as the Heartless attack. Sora is separated from his friends and discovers he now possesses a magical weapon called the Keyblade. He also meets Disney characters Donald Duck and Goofy, who recruit him in their battle in the Heartless. Along the way, Sora also meets characters from other Disney cartoons and Squaresoft games.

The Good: I loved the first Kingdom Hearts game, and the manga does a good job of retelling the game's story.

The Bad: The artwork isn't all that good, especially on the Disney characters.

Offensive material: Usage of magic and mild violence.

Overall: The story is well-told, but the artwork really brings this down. I really wanted to give it a 3.5, but it needs a better artist.

My Review: 2.5 Category: A (all ages)

Comment: This is based on the Squaresoft game Kingdom Hearts, which is a crossover with Disney. It contains characters from both Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series and Disney cartoons. There's also a manga based on the Game Boy Advance sequel, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories.