Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo, Volume 1 by Mahiro Maeda

Albert de Morcerf is a young Lord, the son of the famed General Ferdnand de Morcerf. He and his friend Franz Villefort have travelled to the Moon, to the famed city of sin, Luna Catholic. They are there for Carnival, and while this will be Albert's first visit, it will be Franz's second. He was there the year before, also for Carnival, and there he lost his virginity, to Albert's great envy.

While they are there, in the Opera, they meet the ruler of Luna, the Countess. She welcomes them both, and while at the Opera, Albert sees someone and gets drawn away, only to discover a Watch belonging to the Count of Monte Cristo, whom the others had been discussing. He insists on returning the watch to the count, and is invited to his rooms to witness the executions that are the height of Carnival.

But while Albert finds himself liking the Count, his friend Franz is not as sanguine about Albert's new friend. Afterwards, Albert invites the Count to visit him when he is at home, and the Count remembers when he was Edmond Dantes, toast of the fleet and engaged to a most beautiful woman named Mercedes. But he was pulled away in his moment of triumph, and arrested for treason. Imprisoned in the Isle D'if, he was tortured and kept in the dark.

Years later, he finally escaped, only to find his best friend now married to the woman who was to have been his wife. And now he has returned for revenge on the man who put him down, his former friend... and Albert's father. With Albert still supporting him, with no idea that the man he's befriended is his father's greatest enemy, what will happen to Albert, the Count, and General Ferdnand when the Count begins his revenge?

This is a manga retelling of the book "The Count of Monte Cristo". The Title Gankutsuou is from the Japanese title of the book and means "The King of the Cave". Though unlike other Manga retellings of Classic books, this one requires more than a single volume to tell the story.

Much like "Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth", the story has been moved from Europe of the 17th Century to a new and distant future, but it is still apparent what City "Luna Catholic" is supposed to be (Venice) and Carnival is actually Carnivale. Spaceships sub in for sea-going ships, and Monte Cristo is said to be a small planet near the edges of the Star Empire rather than a backwater place in the country.

I wouldn't spend my money on this manga, but I might read other volumes to see where the story is going and what else they changed from the original Dumas story. Unless you have never read it, you'll already know where it is going, and what will probably happen along the way.