Dr. Stone Graphic Novel Volume 2 cover image

One fateful day, in a blinding flash, every human is petrified and turned into a statue.  Civilization gradually falls apart.  When high school student, Taiju, reawakens, bursting from his stone shell, he is shocked to discover that it is 3700 years later!  And he is not alone, as his classmate, Senku, has been up and running for over half a year.  Now, the duo and more reawakened humans must kick-start civilization, which will not be easy, as not everyone agrees about how civilization should be reformed.

Dr. Stone, Vol. 2 (Two Kingdoms of the Stone World; Chapters 8 to 16) opens to find Senku and his brawny rival, Tsukasa Shishio (“the strongest primate high schooler”), still feuding about how civilization should be reformed.  Tsukasa wants to be selective about who is reawakened, and he does not want a scientific world – even if that means he has to kill Senku.

Plus, see the early days of Senku's reawakening.  Also, other humans have reawakened and are looking to make their mark on a new civilization.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Dr. Stone manga is an odd shonen manga.  After reading the debut volume, I was not sure how much I would warm to the series.

Dr. Stone Graphic Novel Volume 2 reveals the complex twists and turns of the narrative.  The series is edgier than I expected it to be.  Writer Riichiro Inagaki is spry in the way he introduces new elements into the narrative, a spryness Caleb Cook's translation captures.  Artist Boichi continues to turn out some beautiful art work, and Dr. Stone is starting to look like a must-read manga.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers looking for odd shonen will want to try the Shonen Jump title, Dr. Stone.

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8 out of 10