Dark Horse Comics

Spawning a critically acclaimed anime series, best-selling video game, toys and model kits beyond number, and even an amusement park ride, Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the biggest manga franchises in history. Now Dark Horse Comics is proud to present a bold new vision of the Neon Genesis Evangelion story in two all new series, Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project and Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse. Here's editor Jemiah Jefferson with more: 

The phenomenon of Neon Genesis Evangelion continuously surprises me as I learn more and more about the vast scope of ideas it spawned, from the incredible journey of the original anime series to the constantly growing number of "re-imaginings" of the story. Campus Apocalypse is one of these, and it's a fine example of the richness and depth of the storylines, the characters, and the questions it asks of both characters and readers. The same familiar and iconic characters make their appearances – Misato, Ritsuko, Kaji, the Class Rep, Kensuke and Toji, Rei and Asuka, and of course, our reluctant and prickly protagonist Shinji Ikari – but they exist in a different world, a different reality, and yet face similar threats from mysterious Angels, shadowy government agencies, and their own brutal insecurities.

Campus Apocalypse, originally titled Gakuen Datenroku in Japan, is the same story as the original Neon Genesis Evangelion, and yet it is not. It has its own tone, its own approach to the well-known original characters, and its own take on the "Evas," the last line of defense against a baffling, lethal threat from beyond. In Campus Apocalypse, the Evas are not 60-foot-tall Gundam-style robots (and yet so much more!), but specific and individual hand-to-hand weapons which become available as needed – and as long as the individual who needs them can access his or her innermost truth, no matter how difficult or confusing. Shinji has trouble, of course; what with his own confusion with regards to school, girls, and his odd and alienating family history, it's no wonder that he resists the call to fulfill his destiny as a hero. Life as a teenager is weird and difficult enough as it is!

In Campus Apocalypse, though, Shinji's got it easier than he does in the original Evangelion series. As a student at the NERV Academy, he gets along well with his classmates and his bubbly homeroom teacher, Misato Katsuragi; he has a defined place in this world, and engages with it with all the attitude, curiosity, and casual familiarity of a normal teenager. Nonetheless, his relationship with a new, handsome, accomplished student, Kaworu Nagisa, makes Shinji uneasy; Kaworu is just too cool, too calm, and way, way too friendly for Shinji's own comfort! Meanwhile, there have been some shocking killings and attacks near Shinji's school, and before he knows it, Shinji has been pressed into joining the fight against these seemingly supernatural adversaries known as "Angels" who take over the bodies of the dead to do battle with the students, who seem to be the only ones around who will (or can?) fight back.

Mangaka (manga artist) Mingming's very first series is beautifully and delicately drawn with an emphasis on fashion, architecture, and facial expression; the battles are vicious and violent, classroom drama takes on mythical significance, and the way Shinji feels about the things happening in his life are plain to see without ever shading into absurdity or clownishness. And yet, Campus Apocalypse has moments of hilarious comedy and touching sentimentality - otherwise it wouldn't be Evangelion. This four-issue series promises to be as sexy, exciting, and gorgeous as the original anime, but it is more than a simple re-telling of the Evangelion saga. Campus Apocalypse proves just how complex and astonishing the story of Neon Genesis Evangelion remains, fifteen years after its original debut.