Lycanthrope Leo

By Kengo Kaji

Long ago, people would worship animals, until they were tamed as farm animals or buddies. Then people wished to be top dog, so as men attacked blindly, beasts waited quietly til they rose again. '94 in Tokyo, young, ripped guy is being timed on his run, and impresses the group by breaking the fastest time, they chat of how it seemed inhumanly impressive. They blow it off as the girl timing it wrong, and Leo's bummed he hadn't performed as well to qualify for the summer tourney.

Kyoko is invited to come in to his place after school since his pop was a cop and wasn't normally home, but surprise! He is. So, instead, she intros herself, wishes Leo a happy b/day, then biffs off. Also, the dog, Panja is acting afraid of Leo out of nowhere, his pop sensing what could be happening. Leo then shares his dash record and his pop looks even more shocked and nervy.

Soon, he breaks and gives Leo hell for not blending in more to the word "human" being thrown in, again. Next, pop throws the bombshell of making Leo quit track, so he decides to take a walk. Panja gets territorial nervous, and Leo strikes the dog, he very much in denial about his own strength, and why his pop isn't satisfied with his choices. Meanwhile, his pop gets a call warning him they knew of the creature and expected him to handle it.

Leo's pop gets out the only weapon handy on these creatures, and apologizes to his wife's pic for what he must do, since the group knew about him, already. So, Leo and his pop are supposedly off to visit his ma's grave, but his pop leads him to a weird cabin where he reveals Leo's ma wasn't who raised him. He details the history of mutated beasts over many years, and how the group his pop was with were meant to handle any uprising of these extremely powerful creatures. Leo ofc, has trouble believing this, but his pop confesses to having killed his true ma in the cabin they now stood for being in the blood tribe.

Leo's ma was preggers with him, and so his pop went against smart moves and had his hubby raise Leo with him. So, Leo's pop declares of having to kill the beast before it became too strong, Leo unable to get it and breaking down, his pop readying his gun. He doesn't shoot in time, and Leo transforms, his pop seeing the 1st change before Leo bashes him in the face and pops his pop's eye out! Somehow, his pop is still able to tell of Leo being in the true form of the Lycanthrope Blood tribe of the Beast, and try to keep a low profile, since he'd always be hunted, he apologizing for not killing him before the beast could, then dies.

Leo is completely unable to comprehend the changes he's going through, someone from his pop's group looking up Leo's file, and knowing he had to finish him. Leo's on the street, and turns away from what he'd become, Kyoko then dropping by his house, and Leo answering, she immediately noticing he was off. Then it's explained he'd missed 3 days of school, and in order to end their chat, he states of going tomorrow, swatting her hand away when she tried to check his temp. She's suspicious, but lets it go for now, Leo almost having spilled everything to her, but he unsure how she'd take it. The end! Til the 2nd issue. It's cute, and way over the top. B&W, but still damn fine art!

Per Leo's promise, he's at school, unnerved by his pop's warning and what he'd do when his pop's body was found. Kyoko sees how distracted he is, Leo's nerves continuing to plague him in class. Leo's pulled away from his thoughts by a kid heckling the teacher. After class, the teacher suggests he may need to chat with his pop, Kyoko interrupting as the teacher walks off, Leo attempting to protest.

Leo also becomes more paranoid and frustrated from not knowing who else knew about him. Then it's shown his teacher has every intention of hunting Leo slowly. When he gets home, he answers a call from the police station of not seeing his pop, he next seeing a cat covering a paper showing a blurb on his missing pop. Then next call he gets is from a hunter, saying he knew what Leo'd done before hanging up.

This aggravates Leo more, since he senses it was someone at school, he then changing and noticing the little cat wasn't afraid of his like his dog had been. Next day Leo acts much more chipper toward Kyoko, she now knowing his pop was missing and wished him the best. Leo was on the hunt for his hunter, now but doesn't get a hit, his teacher asking him to stay after school for a chat and tea. The teacher suggests Leo should refocus his attention on his studies, since his grades have dropped.

It doesn't click with Leo til after he's left and chatting with Kyoko of recognizing the same scent of chemical he'd sniffed on a pic with an X on it of himself in track. So, he decides to meet with Kyoko later and checks the teacher out, who he discovers is ready with an auto-bow. The teacher reveals the tea he'd served him had tranquilizing effects, but Leo'd still be able to run, the plan being to hunt him in the now empty school. The teacher digs on feeling fear, so is happy when Leo stumbles off. The teacher babbles about how school is wasted on animals like him, and to preserve humanity's rule, Leo must die. Easy to get through, and fun story; The art still hasn't failed either, and I dig the cliff-hanger!

The teacher explains what the bow and arrows are made of to give such a strike on Leo, the cat jumps and moves the gun so the arrow misses, the teacher glad to have a 2nd target. Leo brings himself more to his senses by cutting his arm, the drug lightening, teacher shooting at him, and succeeding a couple grazes. For dramatics, the teacher turns on the projector with a picture of the African savannah showing. As Leo's feeling beat, he hears what he thinks is the cat speaking to him of being King of those living with Nature.

Teacher kills the cat, and this pisses off Leo enough to transform, teacher shocked, since it hadn't been in the file of Leo growing into a giant! Kyoko sees Leo's bag and is creeped out by the empty school, but Leo comes up to her, and the 2 walk off, Leo's cut already nearly healed. Teacher watches and notes how wonderful it was to have such a powerful beast to hunt. When he goes to retrieve his bow, he's met by another large beast, the cat body gone from where it'd hung off the wall.

Leo wonders who's voice he actually had heard as teacher gets finished by the monster who was holding the small cat's body. When they return to class next day, they hear of teacher missing and getting a temp, Leo wondering where their teacher was. Their sub is a looker of a chick which the boys voice. The new teacher begins taking roll as Leo starts to become paranoid by how the cops hadn't even discovered his pop's car at the cabin, yet. Shiiiit, I want to finish this and don't have the last 4 issues! This is definitely worth it, though!