Introduction
Ransom is a manga comic which follows the life of Poe Ransom, a genius prodigy surrounded by mystique. Poe is a lonely child whose only friends use him, and, simultaneously, watch over him to make sure he doesn't try to leave town. Not that Poe's trying to leave town, but apparently if he does, it'll be bad for all involved. Poe's life is enriched by the arrival of Sana Wolfe, an outsider who is new to the lovely lonely town of Soleil. Unfortunately, much like the secrets that surround Poe, there are secrets surrounding this new comer, and Poe can't help but wander what Sana's true intentions are.
The Positive Aspects
To put it simply, the art in this comic is fantastic. Ran demonstrates a gift for both professional looking art and layout. Ran makes good use of text-bubbles which come out clearly and flow very well from one to the next. The occasional a color panel is a rare and always welcomed treat. All-in-all, it would be easy to imagine reading this comic in your local bookstore rather than here on SmackJeeves. It's that good. Story wise, the entire plot is shadowed in mystery. Hints are dropping all over the place, giving a definite feel that something is up; nothing in Soleil is as it seems. From a technical standpoint, Ran also makes good use of a custom template, which is a pleasant bit of subtle eye-candy. It's actually pleasant to behold, and adds significantly to the professional feel.
The Criticisms
The main place Ransom struggles is in page transitions. One page will end, and much like a poor cut in a movie, the next will begin in the wrong place. The characters will have changed location without giving any indication of doing so, or will have changed their conversation, mood, or tone. This creates a bit of a jarring effect while reading the comic. The easy fix would be to pre-plan the script, and follow it as closely as possible. Also, before beginning a new panel, it's good to go back and read the previous few panels and make sure the flow is undisturbed. I also get the feeling that there's a lot more story in the author's head than in the actual comic, and I would love to see those hidden plots get out into the comic more. On the template side, there's the slight problem of a cluttered menu bar. It's difficult to tell where one link ends and the next begins. This could possibly be solved by reducing the number of links, or putting something between each link to help separate them.
The Conclusion
The comic is good, and well worth checking out. I suspect it will be even better as the story unfolds more, and we, as readers, get a better sense of exactly what's going on. I will keep an eager watchful eye on this comic.
