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BASTARD SAMURAI #1
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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Image Comics
Writer: Miles Gunter
Pencils/Colors: Kelsey Shannon
Writer/Inks: Mike Avon Oeming
Letters: Ken Bruzenak
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
Bastard Samurai is one of the most beautiful action
comics to come down the pike in a while. Unfortunately, it is often the same
kind of beauty that I find in Hong Kong action flicks, where I'm captivated even
as I'm not entirely certain what's going on. Oeming, Gunter and Shannon slide
seamlessly from dreams to reality, so seamlessly that I'm never sure what I'm
witnessing, and the reliance on Shannon's silent storytelling abilities
sometimes leaves me puzzled as to what I'm meant to be seeing. However, the
basic concept of the story, as well as the solid artwork, has me intrigued.
The artwork is the big draw of this book, and it looks remarkably like Oeming's work on Powers. Shannon's style is slightly more rounded than Oeming's work, but it has that same strong animated style that works so well on books like Powers and on animated series like Batman. In addition, I was very impressed with Shannon's colors; the colorists on Powers have been
a big part of the draw, but Shannon's work here is as impressive as the work
that Pantazis and Garrahy have done on that book. I particularly liked the use
of red to set apart the fights and dream sequences.
However, using that red to
set apart the fights and the dream sequences meant that I couldn't necessarily
tell which was which. For that matter, there may not have been any dream
sequences, but if that's the case, then there are some truly bizarre things
happening that I didn't quite get. And that's saying something in a book that
focuses on a samurai who fights for money in black market duels. Which is not to
say that there isn't some strong storytelling to be found in the book. The
opening practice duel is a phenomenal bit of action storytelling, and the
dialogue between Jiro and the girl who's "serving" him sushi is a lot of fun as
well. I also enjoyed the juxtaposition between the sex scene and the Kurosawa
film in the background.
I would imagine that those who enjoy Hong Kong action movies would really enjoy Bastard Samurai, as the creators are definitely influenced by those films. In fact, Bastard Samurai is relatively straightforward in terms of Hong Kong action, with the unclear dream sendings of demons and the mysterious pasts of the protagonist and his teacher being merely par for the course. Oddly enough, though, Bastard Samurai has a distinctly American flavor to it
as well, mostly in the colloquial methods of speech that the lead character
uses, despite his focused and quiet samurai demeanor.
This is an action book, and it makes no apologies for it. While I could have wished for a little more clarity as far as the backstory and the transitions, I can't complain about the fast pace or style of the artwork or the vivid imagery that comes from the colors. Bastard Samurai is what Samurai Jack would like to be when it grows up: faster,
meaner and a lot bloodier.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
