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Heroman
Manga Review
Stan Lee: He's been a highly regarded figure in the American comics scene for basically forever. But his attempts at breaking into the manga world haven't resulted in the same runaway success. So when Heroman rolled around, many wondered if it would be any good. The anime by BONES was a solid and entertaining show, so will the manga follow suit?
The story follows the orphan boy Joey Jones, living on the west coast in Center City with his grandmother. After finding a broken Heybo action figure and repairing it, lightning strikes it and transforms it into the towering, powerful, red-white-and-blue Heroman. Joey doesn't have any enemies to fight though, so fortunately for him, an alien invasion happens right after. Perfect timing!
 Part of the charm of Heroman is just embracing the silly, over-American tendencies. Despite being created by Stan Lee, the series is very clearly from a Japanese perspective. Tamon Ohta does a solid job illustrating the manga. It's competent and the 2-page spreads are great, but at times the fast-paced action becomes muddled, with too many details cluttering the panels. However, it does improve as the manga continues.
Perhaps part of this is the result of being an adaption of the anime, and Ohta struggling to fit all the details and plot points into a smaller number of pages. As you may guess, the first volume of the manga rushes through the first several episodes of the TV anime with a few minor changes, and thus characterization is lost. I'm certain much of it will be picked up later, such as Cy and Lina's character arcs, but Joey is mostly left as a simple "I'm not sure I can be a hero" main character.
 Still, despite these faults, Heroman still does a great job entertaining. The absurdity of a giant action figure fighting an ancient collection of Edo-era souls in a samurai suit, along with bug-themed aliens raining down from the sky, is a lot of fun. It evokes the heyday of American comics in names (i.e., Joey Jones, Peter Parker, or Clark Kent) or premise (evil bug aliens summoned by a foolish scientist).
The translation, by Vertical, is solid work as well. Who knows if Stan Lee or someone at BONES wrote the original script (someone surely does), but the dialogue is always clear and moves the story along - though perhaps a bit simplistic.
Design-wise, the book is very appealing. A bright-yellow cover with a black border really makes the art of Heroman and Joey pop. It'll look great on your shelf!
While perhaps there are few shortcomings of adapting an anime into manga format, overall, Heroman is a solid adventure. Especially for those who want something that reminds them of classic Marvel heroes - if they were seen through a Japanese lens. It's light-hearted, a bit silly, and about as American as a manga can get. For just about everyone, it should scratch that superhero itch.
Reviewed by Ben Huber, February 2013
 Heroman
Anime Review
As American pop culture has traditionally sparked Japan interest, it should surprise no one that comic legend Stan Lee has turned his pen toward the land of the rising sun. Trying to find a new breed of "True Believers," Heroman is Lee's second work published/animated for Japan. Heroman — the name should say it all.
Drenched it hot dogs and American Flags, Heroman is a walking (though non-offensive) stereotype of Americana, wrapped up in classic (silver age) superhero tropes. Let me spell it out for you. Protagonist "Joey Jones" lives in the super average/large/suburban anytown of "Center City." His best friend plays guitar and rides skateboards, while his love interest is a cheerleader with an overprotective jock brother. Joey, for no explained reasons, spends his free time assisting the town's most eccentric and brilliant scientist, Dr. Denton.
 Fascinated by space, the good doctor created a signal that actually managed to reach alien life. Of course, these aren't your galactic diplomats, they are invading type. The "skrugs," as they are called, are bent on enslaving humanity, and only the efforts of Joey Jones and his friends can save the city. Well, I say Joey and co., but what I really mean is Heroman. A champion with little motivation or backstory, Heroman is pretty much as boring as they come. A Deus-ex-machina machine come to life, the nearly soulless automaton, Heroman is a remote control toy that was mysteriously empowered by mysterious blue lighting.
 Now, capable of transforming a one foot tall hunk of plastic into a beefcake robot, the duo goes where help is needed. Okay, okay, we're critical, we're jaded, but beneath it all, this really could have been a Marvel comic from the 70's. Those looking for the modern drama of conventional comics might not appreciate the silver age tones Stan Lee uses. To be fair, as the Godfather of Marvel Comics, it only seems like giving us anything else would probably be untrue to the man.
All and all, there's fun to be had watching Heroman. The absolute explosion of conventional tropes, mired in hold over clothing styles, leaves a feeling that brains should be checked at the door. Bright, colorful, and overflowing with Japanese styled Americana, Heroman accomplishes what it set out to do. Those looking for a more transcendental work need not apply, but if can imagine a serious work about a robot draped in the American Flag, than it will probably give you just enough to satisfy.
At twenty-six episodes, Heroman can be seen in its entirety over at Crunchy Roll.
Reviewed by John Martone, February 2011
Below: Scenes from Heroman.
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