My Hero Academia: Smash Volume 1 manga review

My Hero Academia Smash Graphic Novel Volume 1 cover image

My Hero Academia: Smash!! is now the second spin-off manga from the My Hero Academia manga.  Created by Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia is set in a world where eighty percent of the human population has a “Quirk,” a term used to refer to superpowers.  My Hero Academia: Smash!! collects the four-panel comics written and drawn by Horikoshi's assistant, Hirofumi Neda.

In this world, if someone wants to be a superhero, he or she must enroll in the Hero Academy so that he or she can be trained and licensed.  What would a person do, however, if he were one of the 20% of the people born without a Quirk or Quirkless?  Middle school student Izuku Midoriya has no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes.  Then, Midoriya meets the greatest hero of them all, All Might, who gives him a chance to change his destiny…

My Hero Academia: Smash!!, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 20) offers a humorous take on the events that occur in the main series.  See Midoriya gain powers as All Might shares his powers with the boy who would be a superhero.  [All Might is the most powerful hero on Earth, and, apparently, one of his abilities is to share his powers with others.]  See Mt. Lady struggle with her power to become a giant.  See Kamui Woods worry about his costume.  See heroes in maid costumes.

[This manga includes bonus art, comics, and text, and a Q&A.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The My Hero Academia: Smash!! manga had to be; no self-respecting hit manga would go without four-panel comics.  Humorous in nature, four-panel comics, printed vertically, two per page in manga and graphic novel collections, are a fan favorite.

My Hero Academia: Smash!! Graphic Novel Volume 1 offers over 200 four-panel comics set in the world of My Hero Academia.  They present a humorous retelling of events that have occurred in the main series or are original vignettes set in the world of My Hero Academia.

I have to be honest.  I have enjoyed four-panel comics, but they are not something I seek out on my own.  I mainly read them when I get review copies of four-panel collections.  My VIZ Media rep sent me a copy of Vol. 1 of My Hero Academia: Smash!!  After reading this, I can safely say that if you like My Hero Academia and also four-panel, you will probably like My Hero Academia: Smash!!

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of My Hero Academia, superhero comics, and shonen battle manga will want the Shonen Jump title, My Hero Academia: Smash!!

B+
7 out of 10