Crossing Midnight Vol. 1: Cut Here

Set in present-day Nagasaki, Japan, a fantasy/horror series begins when two extraordinary twins are born--one before and one after midnight-- and one of them has access to a world filled with supernatural beings who can enter, and impact, the world as the commonly know it.

A fun, often suspenseful addition to Carey's already notable fantasy/horror-driven work. The premise reads just like the modern Japanese horror movies on which Crossing Midnight is clearly based. A man, Yasuo, prays for a child to be born, and instead he gets twins—a boy and a girl. They grow up normally until one day a demon comes to cash in on Yasuo's promise of an offering. The demon takes the daughter, Toshi, who finds herself in training to be a warrior princess, while son Kai watches helplessly. Meanwhile, Yasuo appears to have mob-related problems. Carey moves this plot along briskly, offering a wealth of details about modern Japanese life in Nagasaki. He's done his research and it pays off in a sense of realism. Fern complements this with detail-driven art that immerses the reader in the time and places of the story. His clean lines and exactitude work in both city streets and mystical byways, while the characters are both visually and thematically appealing. This is a solid, entertaining and beautifully executed exercise in Japanese genre fiction—every bit as gripping as its filmic equivalents. (June)
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In modern-day Nagasaki, Yasuo Hara humors his mother with a prayer and the promise of an offering to the ancient nature spirits, the Kami, for the safe delivery of his and Miya's first child. Months later comes the unexpected arrival of fraternal twins, Toshi and Kai, on either side of midnight. The young parents are surprised but take their family home. Life goes on normally for years, and then the Kami come to collect their offering. Aratsu, Master of Swords, claims Toshi, the girl, as his servant. If she refuses, he promises terrible consequences for her and her family. Crossing Midnight deftly takes inspiration from such modern Japanese horror films as The Grudge and The Ring. Carey skillfully inserts the fantastic story into the bustling landscape of big-city Japan, realistically rendered by Jim Fern's clean lines and fluid expressiveness, so that, for instance, a backdrop of mundane daylight heightens the suspense and creepiness as things go further and further askew for Toshi and Kai. Enthusiastically recommended to horror fans across the board. Coleman, Tina