If it can seem a little difficult to figure out where to start with Ghost In The Shell, don't worry. The reason Masmune Shirow's creation seems intimidating to the point of being impossible to penetrate is because it is, having existed in a dozen different formats since its initial appearance as a three-volume manga published between 1989 and 1997. The comic book was popular, but where Ghost In The Shell really started to hit its stride creatively and commercially, in Japan and beyond was Mamoru Oshii's theatrical anime adaptation. Then there was an original sequel to that. And a remake. Then the whole thing got rebooted with the animated series Stand Alone Complex. Then there were movies based on that, and then the franchise got rebooted again with the Arise direct-to-video series, which put Major Motoko Kusanagi and her cyberpunky team of future police in an entirely different setting. The movie won't be wanting for source material to draw from...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
