Initially based on a story by Russian artists Misha Sprits and Aljosha Klimov, First Squad - The Moment of Truth tells the story of a girl with the ability to communicate with the dead. Using that skill, the Red Army tasks her with putting together a squad of fallen soldiers to take the supernatural fight to the Germans.
Before passing away in 2012, manga illustrator Enka Sugihara adapted the story for a manga format, and from that initial creation, an anime was later created. The series was released in 2009 and created by Studio 4°C. Much like the book, the show was an equal hit.
For some time, the series has been trying to make a return to western audiences, thanks to a Kickstarter campaign by EigoManga. In the campaign, the goal was to reach $3,000 to be able to ship the book to English sellers, and, as of now, the book has surpassed its target at $3,042 with the donating continuing until August 2nd.
With everything in place, it seems that the book will be hitting shelves in the fall of 2020. Don't forget to share your thoughts on the great news in the comments below!
The story is set in the opening days of World War II on the Eastern Front and centers around a Soviet teenager who possesses supernatural abilities to commune with the dead. Nadya has been recruited by the Red Army to fight the invading German army and is tasked to journey into the spiritual realm of the dead.
There Nadya must recruit her fallen comrades and form the First Squad in order to oppose the evil Baron Von Wolff, who is raised from the dead by the Nazis, and his occult army of 12th century Crusaders. The First Squad and Crusaders engage in a spiritual battle known as the "Moment of Truth". Whomever wins the supernatural battles within the spiritual realm dictate the outcome of physical battles waged between the Red Army and the Germans.
First Squad - The Moment of Truth should be hitting retailers in October of this year!