Apollo’s Song (Vertical Inc.)

Apollo’s Song (Vertical Inc.)

English Title: Apollo’s Song
Japanese Title: アポロの歌
Publication Date: 2007
Publisher: Vertical, Inc.
No. of Volumes: 1 (2)
In Print: ✘
Digital: ✔

From the Publisher

Apollo’s Song follows the tragic journey of Shogo, a young man whose abusive childhood has instilled in him a loathing for love so profound he finds himself compelled to acts of violence when he is witness to any act of intimacy or affection whether by human or beast. His hate is such that the gods intervene, cursing Shogo to experience love throughout the ages ultimately to have it ripped from his heart every time. From the Nazi atrocities of World War II to a dystopian future of human cloning, Shogo loses his heart, in so doing, healing the psychological scars of his childhood hatred.

To Shogo, “love” is a four-letter word…”

What you should know

First published in 2007, Apollo’s Song was Vertical Inc.’s third English-language release after Buddha and Ode to Kirihito.  In keeping with their marketing strategy of targeting a more mature “graphic novel” audience rather than a strictly manga fan one, Apollo’s Song was released with “flipped” artwork in order to make the reading order (left to right) more palatable for the average English-speaking fan.  A critical and commercial success, Apollo’s Song made several “Best of 2007” lists and was nominated for (although didn’t win) the 2008 Eisner Award in the category Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books.

As with all of Vertical Inc.’s editions, production value was first class.  Apollo’s Song was printed on high-quality paper with a die-cut dust jacket.  Originally released as a single 541-page volume, Apollo’s Song was re-issued in a two-volume edition featuring new cover designs in 2010.  Although both editions are now out of print, in 2014, Vertical Inc. began releasing digital editions of their Tezuka editions, primarily available in Amazon’s popular Kindle format.