Dominion is a cyberpunk manga written and illustrated by Ghost In The Shell creator Shirow Masamune. First released as a serialized manga in 1986, it was later adapted into 3 OVA series under the name Dominion Tank Police. This book Dominion Conflict (ドミニオンC1―コンフリクト編) is the 2nd tankobon volume, released in 1995, a year after the first book.
Just like his other manga Orion, I much prefer Shirow’s earlier day works ( late 80s to mid 90s ), where his doomed foray into gaudy digital paint has yet began and the female characters he draws weren’t overtly sexualized. I also enjoy the lighter mood and comedic style of his earlier comics, which had for the most part disappeared by the time he drew Ghost In The Shell.
Shirow’s drawing style was still evolving but even back in the day he was already a supremely accomplished artist, as can be seen in his complex compositions and extremely detailed drawings. The screentone work ( shading ) is also exceptional, and involves painstaking manual work of scraping and shaping using a specialized sharp blade too. This volume is mostly black and white but there are select pages showcasing Shirow’s very beautiful ( pre-digital days ) color illustrations.
I chanced upon up this used but near mint copy during my 2023 spring trip to Tokyo but there are also some available on Amazon.com and Amazon Japan ( see purchase links below ). There is also a kindle edition. If you’re a fan of Shirow’s art work this comes highly recommended.
“Dominion Conflict – Shirow Masamune ドミニオンC1―コンフリクト編 士郎正宗” manga details :
– Dimensions – 14.8 x 10.6 x 1.2 cm
– Softcover, 148 pages
– Full color + B&W, in Japanese
Buy From Amazon.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES
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November 18th, 2023 at 11:12 pm
WE NEED A NEW ARTBOOK COLLECTION IN 2 OR 3 VOLUMES WITH SHIROW-SENSEI’S WORKS SEPARATED INTO PERIODS, FROM THE FIRST TO THE MOST RECENT.
HERE IN BRAZIL, ONLY GHOST IN THE ORIGINAL SHELL, 1.5 AND 2.0, WERE UNFORTUNATELY PUBLISHED, I WOULD LOVE TO READ DOMINION, APPLESEED, ORION AND OTHER WORKS IN PORTUGUESE.
THANKS FOR REVIEW, I REALLY LIKE YOUR WEBSITE AND CHANNEL.
November 20th, 2023 at 6:46 am
I love this book. Bought it twice over the years. First time, years ago when it first came out in English – i lost that copy (along with a whole box of manga) during a chaotic flat move.
Got it again last year, found a second hand copy in good condition. It was like stumbling on an old friend.
Its so good. Love the ‘day in the life’ story, love the characters… for me its one of Shirow’s best.
November 22nd, 2023 at 5:33 am
Andre – Thank you for supporting my blog, and I hope more of Shirow’s manga will be published in your language !
ESM – I had no idea there was an English edition of this manga, but I’m glad there is ! I’m really happy to have found this used but mint copy as well. :]
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:00 am
@Yonghow – oh yes, Eng version was published by Dark Horse in the mid-late 90s… translated by the legendary Toren Smith…
Sadly it seems Dominion is largely forgotten/unknown today. It could with a revival!
November 27th, 2023 at 2:28 pm
Dark Horse also did proper right to left print versions of a number of Shirow’s works in 2007 and 2008 — I have Dominion, Dominion Conflict 1, Black Magic, and Orion from that period. They’re roughly 8″x 6″ format.
They also did Appleseed in the same format but for some inexplicable reason I only bought volume 1 at the time, and not 2-4. And of course now, you can’t get that physical release anymore. Only digital. I do have all 4 volumes of the old flipped Dark Horse versions that I bought in the mid-90s though, which are great in their own right, so not a complete loss 🙂 (those old volumes really bring back some fond memories).
November 29th, 2023 at 4:22 am
ESM – Definitely with you on the under-appreciation for Dominion, in fact for all of Shirow’s earlier work I feel.
Chris – Wow you certainly are the consummate Shirow fan ! It’s great though these were made available to fans especially during his hey days before digital.