Lenmana ‘Ana’ Shuman

Ana is nothing you’d expect in the youngest recruit hand-picked by Elle. She’s quiet, she’s feminine, she doesn’t look like a killer; which may just be her greatest strength. Ana is dedicated to running Center City, not to running a war. She joined because she believed that the Hachiman Group was bringing change to Center City, for the millions of working class people who struggle to make ends meet. Idealism has its place in this world, even if it’s in the heart of a trained murderess.

So much of Ana appeals to my better natures; which I suppose is why I’m not entirely able to write her out of the comic book. I must admit that my artistic leaning is toward the violence and rage of Elle, toward the brutal pragmatism of LiLi, or the cold calculations of Saih; however, Ana is crucial. Without her, the comic book is caricature of a nightmare. The world isn’t full of only lost causes, hopeless ruin, and evil. There are so many people in the world who do horrible things, who work terrible jobs in hopes of creating something amazing, beautiful and maybe achieving a little freedom. Our world, my life, my art would be wholly incomplete without Ana. Keep your eye on her.