ORIENTAL X-PRESS #1
David Smith
48 Oulston Rd
Fairfield
Stockton-on-Tees
CLEVELAND TS18 4HU

36 pages, b/w, £1.40

Oriental X-Press, "lighter, shorter and easier on the pocket" than the train of similar name, is a promising new dojinshi from a group of fans in the North-East. A striking cover by Mark Smith featuring the lead charas from the three featured strips enfolds 36 A5 pages which are generally well laid out and clearly printed. Fillers include "Zen Corner" and additional cute artwork. On to the strips...

RIKIYA YATSUOKA by Mark Smith. SF comedy. Rikiya is a free trader (read: smuggler), but she does have her principles... she doesn't touch drugs, and country music is definitely out of the question(!). Fair quality art with expressive characters (the Totoro-droid "Tonto" is cool ^_^). Mark needs to work on his layout and backgrounds, though...his renderings of perspective all come out heavily foreshortened, which looks odd. A story with pace and a good sense of humour, which left me looking forward to the next installment.

CITY TROUBLE by David Smith. SF action. Naoko, a Tokyo police officer, fights crime with her cyberarm, an impressive array of weapons and a serious disregard for public safety. The weakest strip of the three; the artwork is unpractised and the layout occasionally haphazard.

DRAGON WAKING by David Barker. Samurai drama. A young girl witnesses the fate of her brother as he attempts to regain their clan's stolen treasure. The best artwork by a fair margin; David uses light and shade and dynamic character poses to impressive effect. The effects of shuriken and katana are rendered with attention to detail.... not one for the faint-hearted. My one complaint? Only five pages long...

All of the artists in this doujinshi show potential, and I can definitely recommend it. Good value at £1.40.