by Kentaro Yabuki, 191 pages Train Heartnet was once the notorious agent No. XIII, also known as the Black Cat, on the payroll of Chrono, a shady corporation with control over a good chunk of the global economy. When he walked away from the job to become a carefree independent bounty hunter, called a sweeper, he left behind good memories and bad. And one of the worst has resurfaced. His former cohort Creed went off the deep end years ago and now wants Train to join his regime-toppling revolution, the Apostles; but Train knows better than to get involved with the maniacal, cold-hearted killer responsible for the death of someone close to him. Train's former employers, however, won't let him off the hook so easily, as they need him to help them bring down their rogue agent.
Between annoying his partner Sven by spending all their hard-earned cash on food, babysitting sweet-natured but deadly child-cyborg Eve whom they rescued / adopted in an earlier installment, and trying to outwit clever rival (and master-thief) Rinslet, Train already has his work cut out for him. Now he finds himself fighting supernaturally-skilled Apostles left and right, repeatedly refusing Creed's offers of renewed camaraderie, and trying to keep himself and his friends alive, all while avoiding as much responsibility as possible.
In this volume, Train and Rinslet have been lured by Chrono's top agent to Creed's latest hideout, where the villain reveals a small piece of his revolutionary plan (involving nano-agents and atavistic genes--ohnoes!) before blowing the place up--smiling the whole time, of course.
This supernatural action / mystery manga series is a little fun, a lot hokey, and a bit dark. If you can suspend disbelief enough to accept the sometimes cartoonish minions of both Chrono and the Apostles along with Train's physics-defying shooting skills, the jokes and the drama make for a nice balance and a not unpleasant way to spend a few hours.
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