Ask John: What is Spriggan?

Question:
Hi there. I was wondering what this Spriggan thing is? Is it an anime? Where can I get it? Do you have it? Thanks for the help.

Answer:
Spriggan is the Japanese name for a mercenary action/adventure manga series created by Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. Some of the manga was translated and published by Viz under the title Striker. Last summer, a feature-length movie, based on the second story-arc included in the Viz graphic novel Striker: The Armored Warrior, was released to Japanese theaters. The movie was well received, partially because Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of Akira, worked on the production as a technical advisor. AD Vision currently owns the US distribution rights to the movie and intends to release the film theatrically in the US before issuing it on home video.