According to Norse mythology, the mischievous god Loki mated with a giantess named Angrboda, producing three offspring – Hel, the goddess of death; Fenrir, a monstrous wolf with a knack for prophecy; and a sea serpent named Jormungand. An angry Odin stole the misbegotten children, throwing Jormungand into the ocean which girdled Midgard, where he grew to such proportions that he was able to surround the earth and grasp his own tail in his mouth. Legend has it that should he ever let go of it, the world will end. Legend tells us that Jormungand is fated to meet with his deadly enemy, god of thunder Thor, at the battle of Ragnarok. Jormungand is also the title of Keitaro Takahashi's first series, a story which centers about a group of arms dealers, Merchants of Death at a time when war is raging across West Asia. Only time will tell if the name is prophetic as well.
Jonah is a child-soldier. Born into a time of war, his parents victims of a new type of bomb, flung from the belly of a prototype fighter jet, he ends up in the service of a young female arms dealer, Koko Hekmatyar, of H&C Logistic Incorporated. Although he is proficient in the weapons that he uses, he also loathes them, but he does what he has to do, and he does it well. When Koko introduces Jonah to the rest of her team of mercenaries, there is some skepticism of her choice of such a young child, but they accept her judgement, despite her own youth, because of their respect for her. And thus begins Jormungand.
Highlights
Our story begins with a situation in Eastern Europe. . . A shipment of aircraft parts is being held up by a government official, who doesn't wish them to fall into the wrong hands. But the parts belong to Koko, and she isn't about to let a simple matter such as a possible shift in the balance of power keep her from making a profit! The team splits up, Koko taking Jonah, as they head toward the port to retrieve Koko's shipment. Along the way they realize that they are being followed by camouflaged military types, a special unit dispatched by the vice minister of home affairs in order to keep the parts away from the air force. They launch an antitank missile at Koko, but it misses and they never get a second chance, as Jonah retaliates with great efficiency, and the pursuit is called off. And now, having successfully survived his first gig as a member of the team, it is Jonah's duty to make breakfast! A few days pass in which Jonah settles into life with Koko's team, getting to know the other members as they get to know him – and then it's off to the next crisis! Koko has received intelligence of a convoy which has crossed the northern border carrying the components to assemble and keep in repair fifteen MI-24D HIND D attack helicopters, obviously the work of other mercenaries attempting to cut into Koko's action. And of course she isn't about to tolerate that, so she divides the team, giving them each their assigned duties, taking Jonah with her. She arranges a meeting with the other arms dealer, by the name of Mr. Kloshkin, Jonah posing as her little brother. Meanwhile Valmet and Tojo are handling negotiations with the National Defense Force. Kloshkin thinks he has the drop on Koko, but he doesn't know her very well! But he soon learns whom he is dealing with, although he does manage to get in a hit at Koko, and she ends up having the last laugh – as well as sealing the deal. Mission completed, it's time to pick up Valmet and Tojo from their location in the next town.
Jonah is angry with himself that he allowed Koko to be hurt during the mission, but Lehm reassures him that it was all in the plan, not to worry. But soon they have bigger fish to fry, on their way to pick up their comrades – their communications seem to have been disrupted! The reason quickly becomes clear – their is a veritable war zone ahead of them, over possession of the strategic pipeline. While making her delivery of eight antiaircraft missiles to a Major Pollack, she runs across two old acquaintances – Mildo and Liu, and can Mr. Curry of England's CCAT be far behind? Indeed not. A suspicious set of circumstances indeed. The situation heats up when Major Pollack demands that she supply him with a replacement mobile radar unit, their other one having been blown up in an air raid. She insists that she can't do that, and he claims that as the daughter of world shipping magnate Floyd Hekmatyr, of course she can – stalemate. She pretends to acquiesce to his demands, but begins making plans to get out of Dodge pronto.
Overall
The team get away the following morning. Once outside of camp, they reach the Orin Pass where they find themselves under attack by MI-24V HIND E helicopters – with thermal sensors, obviously outfitted for targeting ground troops. Finally they reunite with Valmet and Tojo – and with Liu and Mildo and Mr. Curry as well. And all of them are under surveillance by Major Pollack! How will they get out of this apparently no-win situation? Koko Hekmatyr is an interesting character. She reminds me of Hellsing's Integra – she's a strong female who doesn't take any shit from anyone, and has no problem with leading a group primarily composed of men. I have a little trouble understanding why these other seasoned fighters are so willing to follow her, as young as she is, but there are some things which simply call for you to suspend your disbelief, this being one of them. Also, although Jonah is a child, there is precedent for children being used as soldiers in times of conflict. Lehm reminisces at one point about a child-soldier he saw in Somalia in '91 who, with an antitank land mine blew thirty soldiers and their armored fighting vehicle to kingdom come. Jonah is very jaded for one so young, probably due to the trauma of his parents' deaths. He hates the weapons he uses, but he is good at using them. I do like the artwork, the manga-ka went to some trouble with this, and the cover is particularly good. There is still a lot we need to learn about Koko and her team, and hopefully these things will be revealed in future volumes. Valmet and Mildo appear to have a past relationship of some sort which was not entirely unfriendly. Koko is primarily motivated by profit – at least on the surface. When Jonah asks her why she didn't simply sell the other weapons to the major, she replies, "My gut tells me this battle is going to be over in two days max." She is an astute observer of the human condition in times of war, and is good at knowing which way the wind blows. This is a promising start to the series, and I look forward to reading more. The second book should be out in February 2010.
Comicsonline gives Jormungand 4 out of 5 arms dealers.
