Feudal Japan meets science-fiction in this new Andy Diggle-penned limited series. Diggle brings the same sort of intensity and energy that made his Adam Strange series a success, and he's paired with another art team that's in keeping with the same sort of pace and over-the-top style that Pascual Ferry brought to Adam. Yu and Alanguilan's last project was the unique and intense vision of the Man of Steel (in Superman: Birthright), and their work here is just as inventive and sharp, though perhaps not quite as stylized. There's just one problem: the story and characters in this new series never find their feet on the ground. I've never been one for this sort of samurai story, and this one strikes me as being rather derivative of other such stories that have come before it, despite the added sci-fi flair.
In the year 2062, Japan has lost its way, completely enveloped with the ways of the West. a crimelord -- following the advice of Renjiro, his most trusted samurai enforcer -- proposes a union of other crime families in order to return Nippon to its traditions. The plan is unfolding perfectly, but there's just one problem: Renjiro and his master's wife have fallen in love, and she plans to force her beloved's hand in making a choice. She sets out to poison her husband, testing Renjiro's loyalties.
Yu and Alanguilan's angular collaboration certainly brings the appropriately intense and powerful edge to these characters. I would have liked to have seen more variety in design in the scenes set in 2062, but there's definitely more imagination at play in the flashforward scenes set in 2063. The Jim Lee influence on Yu's work shines through here, and the overall tone of the line art, though meticulously detailed and highly stylized, is fairly conventional. That's a bit disappointing when one considers how different his work on Superman: Birthright was. Yu's art on that book boasted strong Mike Mignola and Kevin Nowlan influences, making it really stand out as different from what the artist had done before. The art on Silent Dragon, though occasionally inventive and exciting, pales in comparison.
Corrupt warlord. Star-crossed lovers. A choice between love and honor. These plot elements are far too familiar, and and there's really not enough in the way of science-fiction adornments to make it seem fresh. Diggle handles the material well, though, but to be honest, the whole samurai warrior genre thing has never really appealed to me. In that respect, the writer had an uphill battle when it came to winning over this particular reader.
The main reason that such stories don't appeal to me is that it's just too alien. The stilted dialogue, extreme values and casual acceptance of violence as a part of the everyday are all aprt of a world to which I find it impossible to relate. I don't mind exploring the different culture, but I need something in that context with which I can connect. 6/10
