The plot driving Black Sun forward is a fairly routine and generic one, and ultimately, it's not that interesting. But some spicy artwork and strong characterization for the heroine make for an entertaining, if light, read. The protagonist's personality goes a long way to make the reader forget about the cliches in the plot.
Wrist Dragons are the latest collectible toy craze to hit the streets of Hong Kong, but it's got some sort of link to a gang of monstrous criminals. Little does Detective Maggie Sun know what she's getting into. Mind you, she has plenty of distractions in her life. She and an American journalist are madly in love, her dad (who also happens to be her boss) is always trying to rein her in (both professionally and socially), and there's a vicious feud brewing between her dad and her billionaire uncle. Speaking of whom, Zhao's business interests have shifted in a dangerous direction.
This book stands out as the strongest sample of Trevor Scott's art I've seen thus far. His work struck me as being influenced by a variety of styles. It's like J. Scott (Danger Girl) Campbell meets Howard (American Flagg!) Chaykin or Charlie (White Death) Adlard. The design of the evil mastermind behind the plot reminds me of Phil (Green Arrow) Hester's style as well. The art is a bit busy, yes, but it's in keeping with the Hong Kong action genre.
Andreyko's script puts one in mind of buddy action flicks. The heroine of this series strikes me as the heroes of Rush Hour -- Jackie Chan's and Chris Tucker's characters -- wrapped up in one neat, spunky package. While the action genre doesn't hold my attention all that well, Maggie's unrestrained personality wins the reader over with ease. A mix of toughness, playfulness and sensuality make her the kind of heroine you can't help but cheer on. Her character shines as the book's greatest asset.
The plot and the antagonists are a different story. While the dysfunctional family dynamics of the Sun clan are interesting, the demonic and ultimately generic quality of the bad guy behind everything doesn't interest me in the least. It also seems a little late in the game to latch onto the collectible toy phenomenon as a plot element. It would have been fresh a couple of years ago, but falls flat now.
Note: Some comments in this review are reproduced from a previous feature on the website.
