One Punch Man (2015)

[ワンパンマン]

Volume 8

Author: ONE
Artist: Yusuke Murata
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
Saitama discovers the secret of the S-Class hero King, the Strongest Man on Earth.

Story/Characters:
I can't really talk about the key point of the main part of this volume without spoiling it, so I'll just say that learning the truth about King brings a very interesting dynamic (and he becomes a regular in Saitama's circle after this, much like Bang, so that's cool). I recommend rereading his earlier appearances. It makes for a nice rewatch (technically reread) bonus. Following that story, we have Hero Association rep Sytch's desperation ploy to recruit villains to combat the growing threats the world is facing. This leads us to the debut of Garou. Now, I'll talk about him more in future reviews.

Art:
The art continues to impress. I particularly like shots that play up King's intimidation factor. There are a lot of great reaction shots in this one.

Other:
The first side story features Saitama looking for the lost cat of a daughter of one of the Association's board members. This helps preview some of the misappropriation of resources and such by the Association. The second one has Saitama and Genos being treated to lobster at Bang's dojo, where a rival dojo comes looking for trouble. There's also a little omake of the lizard guy from the King story. If you like the TAS episode "The Man Who Killed Batman", you'll appreciate it.

Conclusion:
While this is a perfectly fine entry in the series and works as a breather between the Boros Arc and the Garou Arc, it's not as much as a must-have. If you're a fan, you're bound to get it, but purely on its own merits, it's not quite as compelling as some of the other volumes.

Rating:
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