Just five years ago in the UK, the word 'manga' was a well kept secret shared by a small group of fans devoted to Japanese comics and animation. Today every major video store has a section devoted exclusively to Japanimation videos, with well over 100 titles to choose from and growing. Manga comics have made a similarly seismic impact on the newsstands over the last year. And now the Manga phenomenon is about to hit the bookshops.

September 1995 saw the launch of Manga Books - deluxe paperbacks making Japanese comics widely available to the British public. five exciting titles - Appleseed, AD Police, Dirty Pair and Crying Freeman Vols 1 & 2 - spearheaded the line. Breathtaking artwork, furious action and razor-sharp stories combined to create a whole new type of pulp fiction.

A further five books are due for Christmas release, including titles featuring some of the hottest movies and TV shows of the year - THE X-FILES, TANK GIRL and SPACE PRECINCT...

THE DIRTY PAIR

DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCES

The Dirty Pair take a well-deserved holiday, but their plans for a week of sun, sea and sundry other pleasures get rudely interrupted by a blast from the past.

Also vacationing on the planet Rocinante is Shasti, their treacherous former partner. Kei and Yuri are itching for revenge, and when the girls meet up, the fur really starts to fly! To make matters worse, Shasti is mixed up in a plan to hijack a spacecraft containing 20 intergalactic diplomats and a collection of ancient exotic weapons. Can Rocinante survive such an explosive combination? Not a chance!

Space piracy, cat fights and big, big guns - it's all in another riotous day's work for The Dirty Pair.

"If you've only ever heard about the Dirty Pair, here's a chance to get to know them better - you can be sure you'll enjoy the ride!" Manga Mania

Story by Toren Smith & Adam Warren, 136 pages, art by Adam Warren, black & white, ú7.99, released November 1995

The Dirty Pair, Dangerous Acquaintances © 1995 Toren Smith and Adam Warren. The Dirty Pair © Haruka Takachiho.

CRYING FREEMAN Volume Two

Portrait Of A Killer Freeman travels to Hong Kong to undergo a terrifying initiation into the cult of assassins known as the 108 Dragons. Will he embrace his bloody heritage or avoid it by taking his own life?

Caught in a power struggle between the Dragons, the Italian Camora and the Yakuza, Freeman must face a host of deadly enemies and a brutal attack on the woman who has betrayed him before he can confront his final destiny.

Exotic action in the hard-hitting tradition of John Woo.

"Fast moving, exciting and liberally sprinkled with violent death and genuinely erotic sex." - Manga Mania

"An intricate tale of international intrigue" - Animerica

Story by Kazuo Koike, Art by Ryoichi Ikegami, 232 pages, black & white, ú7.99, released November 1995.

Please note: CRYING FREEMAN is "Not suitable for readers under 18".