Clover – Omnibus Edition

Kazuhiko is a black ops agent who is called on an unusual mission: he must escort Sue, an innocent waif who has lived in isolation for years, to an unknown destination. But there’s a dark reason for Sue’s life of captivity, and Kazuhiko discovers that his mission is more dangerous than it looks.

Both elegant and experimental, Clover is visually stunning and conceptually, a little confusing. However, Dark Horse’s omnibus presentation makes it easier to understand the non-linear story, and appreciate the beauty of CLAMP’s line work and color illustrations in all its dazzling glory.

When ex-paramilitary agent Kazuhiko is called out of retirement, his mission seems simple: just escort a girl to an unknown destination. He soon discovers that Sue is more than pretty waif – she’s a ‘four-leaf clover’ with powerful psychic and psychokinetic abilities. Sue also has a connection with Kazuhiko’s deceased lover Ora, a gorgeous diva whose song provides a melancholy soundtrack to this sci-fi / cyberpunk / action-drama-romance.

With its dramatic use of black and white, typography, innovative page compositions and plot structure, Clover is a story that seduces and perplexes. It’s undeniably gorgeous, but clarity can be elusive.

That said, it's helpful to have the entire story in one book, because Clover is not a linear story. The first arc focuses on Kazuhiko and Sue. The second story goes back in time to explore Kazuhiko and Ora’s relationship and find out why Ora’s song reaches Sue in her gilded cage. The third tale goes further back to focus on Kazuhiko’s colleague Gingetsu and twins code-named “A” and “C.” What unites these characters is their loneliness and longing for love.

Clover rewards repeated readings, because your first encounter will leave you dazzled by its visual artistry and slightly confused by its unconventional story. Your second read will allow you to sort out the intertwined relationships and see how each characters’ tragic destiny is revealed, then echoed in subsequent chapters.

Dark Horse’s omnibus edition collects all three volumes of the series into one sumptuous package that greatly improves upon the first English edition. Dark Horse wisely chose crisp, white paper and a larger format to showcase CLAMP’s lovely linework and color illustrations.

Elegant and poetic, Clover is more than a sci-fi / romance manga; it’s a fascinating experiment in visual storytelling that seduces the eye and touches the heart.