I've got to hand it to the creators of Heaven Sword, they don't think small. This first volume encompasses a war of martial arts schools, a fantastic weapon that can shape the world, an epic romance and the birth of a destined champion, and I'm impressed that the creators pack so much story into the book without getting into the overly crowded style that characterized Story of Tao, a Comicsone publication in a similar vein. Heaven Sword does have similarities to Story of Tao in that it has absolutely gorgeous full-color artwork, and also in that it features a lot of Chinese mythology and culture, which I sometimes found a little hard to relate to.
One of the big selling points of Hong Kong action film has been the mind-blowing action sequences which combine martial arts, fast movement and splashy special effects. Heaven Sword definitely captures this feel, with the characters each describing their martial arts with fanciful names ("Seven Wound Fist") and exploding outward not only with fists and feet but with bursts of energy from their chi or life-force. The battles are colorful and splashy, and while they may not have the same attention to anatomy and martial arts moves as the closest American comparison, Way of the Rat, they certainly give a sense of speed and power that is important in this genre.
While I expected from prior experience with Comicsone that the artwork and action would be terrific, though, I was surprised at how much more accessible I found this story. There's still a lot of attention paid to schools of kung fu and Chinese history that sometimes flew over my head, but the central ideas, that an honorable warrior was seeking answers for his brother's death and a deranged warrior was seeking vengeance for his lost family, came through loud and clear.
The characterization is of a more surface nature, as the characters exist largely to fill an archetype (noble monk, redeemed assassin, insane warrior) rather than to be a nuanced portrayal of a person, but that doesn't mean the story is completely empty. I was surprised at some of the directions this story took, as it became less about a quest for a magical sword and more about two people finding love and trying to bring a dangerous destabilizing element into their lives to become an asset. The relationship that developed between the three martial artists on a deserted island, particularly with the addition of a child, was fairly believable and enjoyable, and sets up the child to be a major player in the Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre saga.
I must confess that the extended nature of this type of story (I tend to prefer those that last for about six or seven volumes rather than those that go into double or triple digits) makes me unlikely to pursue it on a long-time basis, but it was certainly interesting to sample this story, which combines romance, action and mysticism into a beautiful and interesting read, sure to appeal to fans of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and other more lyrical Hong Kong action stories.
