Aqua

In this short-lived 2007–2008 Tokyopop release, Aqua adapts the early chapters of Kozue Amano’s beloved manga, following a young woman’s dream of becoming a gondolier on the terraformed, water-covered world of Mars. The series, written by Alethea Nibley, Athena Nibley, and Barbara Randall Kesel, with art by Amano and Star Print Brokers, introduces the gentle, atmospheric world that would later blossom into the acclaimed Aria franchise. Though only two issues were published, Aqua remains a quiet entry point for English-speaking readers into Amano’s serene, slice-of-life vision of a future Venice.