In GREAT METAL GOD, an unknown steel visitor descends from the heavens, leaving destruction in its wake. Mankind's struggles are in vain before the metal marauder, however, salvation comes from an unlikely source –an ancient ritual and a young girl's resolve.

Great Metal God has story and art by Iwakuni Kogyo. English translation is done by Michael Jokoh and lettering by Jeanthrix Andres. Published by Manga Mavericks (December 16, 2026).

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

At only sixty-eight wordless pages, Great Metal God doesn't have much space to convince us that it's worth reading. But it does have an intriguing blend of science fiction, mecha, and mythology that more than makes up for its lack of pages. Based loosely on the myth of Kanayago-kami, the patron goddess of tatara ironmaking (a specific method indigenous to Japan), the story begins when an enemy mech suit descends from space and begins annihilating Japan. Deep in the mountains, a priestess learns of this and uses her powers to awaken her own mech, and the two fight. Because of the lack of text, it's up to us to decide if she becomes the mecha or pilots it; both interpretations are possible based on what we're given. The story ends abruptly, but it doesn't necessarily feel incomplete.

As you might imagine, this is a book entirely driven by its artwork. Iwakuni Kogyo, whose disparate body of work ranges from Godzilla illustrations to Hello Kitty, has very strong lines, and each panel is clean and clear. It's obvious what the action on the page is, but not so obvious that readers can't decide for themselves what's really going on, a remarkable synthesis of straightforward storytelling and leaving matters up to reader interpretation. The opening scenes of the enemy descending and opening its toothy maw to allow a flamethrower to peep forth and spew fire is particularly strong, as are the scenes of the priestess conducting her ritual. Very little grey space is present, which enhances the spectacle of the piece, making it feel like an older work despite a 2023 copyright date. It feels classic, which is to its credit.

Great Metal God is more art piece than sequential storytelling in the traditional sense. It has panels and pages, but it's all set up to feel like something you might see in a modern art museum rather than the shelves of the comic shop. While it won't work for everyone, those with an interest in the artform of manga ought to check it out. It's a fascinating snippet that I wish was a bit longer.