"Fight! Izcer-One!" was a direct-to-video Japanese animation series from 1985 that didn't get an English-language release in America until 1994, at which point Japan had already seen the release of its 1990 sequel "Adventure! Iczer-Three!" and had pretty much moved on. This didn't stop a different mid-1009s American company from releasing "Iczer-3" to an English-language market that had already forgotten what an "Iczer" is, or how many of them there were supposed to be. Confused? Well, let's see if the licensed American comic book can clear things up!
One, two, three, that's three Iczers, gotta be. Right? Well, hopefully there will be a big chunk of hard to read text laid on top of a halftone gradient to explain things further.
You're in luck! With this synopsis, you've been spared the necessity of watching "Fight! Iczer-One", a prime piece of mid-1980s Japanimation about a high school girl menaced by oozing monsters and male-gaze lesbians from beyond the stars, who is rescued and subsequently becomes the frequently-naked fighting partner of a light-saber wielding woman with big hair, pointy ears and the ability to conjure up a giant robot. Don't get me wrong, I like me some Iczer-One, but it is extremely '80s, and maybe it didn't need a sequel. And maybe that sequel didn't need a comic book adaptation. But here we go anyway!
You AND your evil powers can go to hell, Neos Gold! With a WHUD and a VAM the eternal struggle of punching the bad lady so hard that your body points in two directions at once continues!
Because Iczer-One is a super powerful alien anime girl hero she can close her eyes and cause explosions at will. This is honestly a thing that happens a lot when anime girls get their super powers. So if you're ever around one, look out.
I'm kinda starting to get worried about the Earth. Also worried about Iczer-One's spine, which seems to have a few new points of articulation.
And somewhere else in outer space, a big space ship is destroyed by what appear to be easily amused shooting stars.
They laughed so loud it woke Nagisa up? Is this the same Nagisa who was pals with Iczer-One? The script is not very clear on this point.
look, I had plenty of part time jobs and I don't care how loud the alert siren was, if it wasn't my shift I wasn't gonna come in. Once you start, suddenly you're the person they call whenever Betsy needs the night off or Fred breaks his leg.
will the far-future military be so advanced we can just hire annoying teenagers on a part time basis? Work the 4-8 shift defending the Earth and then get back to your homework, is that it?
And here's why you don't hire part-timers for your space army, their operational security is also just part-time.
Wally Wood's Three Panels That Always Work: Sketchy Future Buildings, Silhouettes And Viewscreens, Cheekbone Surgery Disaster Guy
"I am serious, and don't call me... wait. You didn't say "Surely." Let's do this again."
Earth's defenses destroyed by our own orbital "Star Wars" death ray lasers? Dang it. Well, I guess we are worshipping her as our new god after all. Start building that Neos Gold church, I guess, and I'll get going on the Neos Gold Bible.
"Insects? Big deal! Check out Bob here! He got a jagged spike of metal through his chest! Ask him how he'd feel about some insects!"
Don't get so cocky Neos Gold. Those were our own weapons you used to destroy us. What would God need with an orbital particle beam?
I wanna get one of those part time jobs handing out hamburgers on the moonbase. I guess it's difficult to get people to join the space army if there isn't McDonalds readily available at all times? Wait, this is Japan, this would be a MOS Burger, or maybe a Lotteria.
CLASS-A, ALERT! CLASS-B, YOU'RE ON STANDBY! CLASS-C, RECESS!
Remember, no matter how strong you build your moonbase airlock doors, there's always a robot mechanoid space beast monster that's stronger.
"Look, if you don't need us, why did you even drag us along? I could be relaxing at home now."
As Neos Gold Fortresses go, that is some pretty awesome Sonic The Hedgehog fanart
I didn't have "make Honeymooners reference" on my bingo card for this comic, but awayyyyyy we go!
These space-women family relationships are complicated. If I'm reading this right, Iczer-One's mother is also her sister, but not her sister Iczer Three, her other sister, Sister Grey. Who we aren't calling "Mother Grey" for some reason.
"Sister Grey is Izcer-Three's mother and they're all Cthuwulf." Yeah, I kinda get why people say this Japanimation stuff doesn't make any sense.
With this establishing shot I think we've finally determined that Nagisa and her friend are, in fact, on the moon. This comic book is being real stingy with the explanatory captions. Another thing this comic hasn't told you is that Nagisa here is NOT the Nagisa from "Fight! Iczer-One!", but the *granddaughter* of that Nagisa, who is also named Nagisa. Way to confuse everybody, Toshihiro Hirano.
Why is this happening to you? Because there's a line between "big-eyed Japanese animation girl" and "Margaret Keane painting" and you just crossed it. Here's your sad kitten, now go stand in the rain.
The original English dub of "Adventure! Iczer-Three!" was by an outfit that realized Japanese animation is edgy, high-tech ultraviolent animation for adults, and therefore inserted curse words into the dialogue wherever possible, god-dammit.
So when you're a teenage girl in these Japanimations you need to be aware that at some point your panties are going to be visible. So just like Mom told you, make sure your underwear is clean before going out.
Well, at least *somebody* is going to get some fun out of this whole Iczer 3 experience.
Again, anime girl panties. They call this "fan service" in the community, because fans are kind of creepy
What a fascinating child, particularly whatever is happening with the way the shoulders are going one way and the neck and head are going a completely different way.
Uh oh, who is this asking us all to stop it, to put the comic down and walk away?
It's Iczer Three! The power of a battleship, the body of a woman, and the face of a dollar-store stuffed animal!
No matter where these fight-scene declaratory sentences start out, they always end up with "...then DIE!" Oh, you're here to read the gas meter? Your father's cousin's hairdresser was related to my mailman's fishing buddy? You just came by to drop off this misdelivered package? Then DIE!
Canonically Iczer Three is "physically appearing to be ten years old." Which, no. I'd say maybe the character designers should actually look at some ten year old girls, and then again, I don't want those character designers anywhere near ten year old girls.
Iczer Three's powers include the powerful Izcer-Bomb, summoning the giant Iczer-Robo, and invoking the Iczer Giant Black Outline around her hair and body.
"I'll teach you to try these on for size." I can't tell if she's being threatening, or if she's a changing room assistant at a high-end fashion retailer catering to people who need a lot of help.
When ninja do this, it's known as "bunshin." When comics do this, it's known as "hittin' the Xerox"
She did it! Or rather, she did "Gwit!"
As always the penalty for being killed in battle is death. Serves her right for making up some kind of unbelievable story about - get this - a sequel to "Fight! Iczer-One!" Who would want that?
But now Neos Gold is firmly convinced of the entertainment value of Iczer Three. Unlike, say, every other person in the whole world. Including CPM Comics, who for the second issue walked away from the whole idea of adapting this video, and instead delved deep into the backstory of the Cthuwulf and their time-travel outer space origins. And then this comic was never heard from again. Truly, there is justice in the cosmos.
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