Karuka

By Steven Thomas Chew

Who is Karuka? Is he a Monster or a Hero? Is he a formidable foe or faithful friend? Either way, there is more than meets the eye! This graphic novel will appeal to young readers with an interest in Japanese Manga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Sep 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9781489745125

Steven Thomas Chew

Steven Thomas Chew is a student at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA. Steven doesn't let Autism prevent him from working, studying and pursuing his passion for drawing, writing, martial arts and Japanese culture.

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Copyright © 2023 Steven Thomas Chew.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

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without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of

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LifeRich Publishing

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of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-4511-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-4512-5 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date:   08/21/2023

Contents

1     Karuka

2     Ogata

3     Awaken the Beast

4     Beauty

5     A Star is Born

6     Karuka vs. Terraga

7     Kill the Beast

8     The Show Must Go On

9     Karuka’s Film Debut

10   From Infamy to Fame

11   Karuka’s Adoption

12   Dairoku

13   Return of the Masters

14   Beauty and the Beast: the Beach

15   Beauty and the Beast: the Arcade

16   Doruma

17   An Old Fiend

With thanks to my brother Jonathan,

a talented artist and writer himself,

for his continued encouragement and support.

1

KARUKA

Seventy million years ago, there was a laboratory on Earth created by a mysterious alien race called the Karitans (Ka-re-tan). The Karitans were a highly advanced yet cruel race and were feared throughout the galaxy. They thought themselves to be superior to all other sentient life and wanted to enforce that belief by conquering other planets to add to their empire.

The Karitans were planning to create a weaponized monster. It would be called a Berserker and the aliens would use it to conquer Earth. Because the Berserker was designed to be a weapon, the Karitans equipped it with weapons. They designed the cyborg creature with missile launchers where the hands would be. They installed three laser cannons on the high part of the forehead, which would be stored in synthetic horns. They also installed four more synthetic horns on the back of its head to store the generators to give power to the laser cannons.

Commence infusion of Tyrannosaurus Rex DNA into subject Karuka (Ka-ru-ka), said the Karitan scientist in charge of the operation. When the scientists infused the creature with the DNA of the mighty Tyrannosaurus, the creature began to form a head, a pair of legs and a saurian tail. The purpose of the Tyrannosaurus DNA was to provide the creature with physical strength. But this wasn’t enough. They needed more animal DNA to complete their creation.

Commence infusion of Enteroctopus dofleini DNA into subject Karuka. The creature, after the infusion, began to form two octopus funnels on its back. The purpose of the funnels was not only to enable the creature to swim, but also to provide a place to equip the creature with thrusters to enable it to fly. The octopus DNA’s other purposes were to enable to creature to camouflage for stealth attacks, and to provide it with gills to enable it to breathe underwater as well as on land. Another Karitan walked into the room for a status report.

How is the operation commencing?

Stage: three. Progress: eighty seven percent, replied the scientist. The Karitan then continued his work. Commence infusion of Homo sapien DNA into subject Karuka. The creature began to form into a humanoid being. It grew longer arms with apposable thumbs. Then the Karitans installed the missile launchers in the back of each hand. Then they used their advanced technology to enhance the creature’s already incredible strength. Suddenly, clouds appeared outside and a sliver of light glowed between them as if to indicate something unique was about to happen. Then thunder began to roar from the clouds as something began to change in the creature.

Something is wrong here…

Karuka%2010001.jpg

Commence stage four:. rapid physical progression! said the scientist. The creature began to grow hair, teeth, and claws. Its synthetic horns finished developing over the laser cannons and generators. The scientists added a synthetic half-spade on the end of its tail as an extra weapon. They also added a retractable spike on each calf on its legs, mainly out of artistic desire. The body of the creature had been fully developed, but then something unexpected happened… The creature had developed intelligence. The second Karitan noticed something wrong in the experiment.

There is an error. Call off the operation!

Negative. Continue! replied the scientist, ignoring his superior’s warning. The creature opened his eyes and gained consciousness. Karuka had awakened.

The scientist, having realized that the operation had gone wrong, began to act. Subject Karuka is becoming unstable!

All personnel evacuate! Commence lockdown! said the Karitan. Karuka broke free from his tubes and gave his first thunderous roar.

ROOOAAAR!

Frightened by this outcome, the Karitans had no other choice but to try and terminate their first Berserker.

Karuka%2010002.jpg

Subject has a critical defect! Commence the decommencing! Deploy security squadrons 1st and 2nd to destroy this monster! Code Black! said the scientist. Karuka may have just been born, but he was smart enough to tell that these creatures were planning on killing him. Karuka began to