47 Ronin by Mike Richardson and Stan Sakai

Title: 47 Ronin

Author: Mike Richardson

Artist: Stan Sakai

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Release Date: March 4, 2014

“To know this story is to know Japan.” This statement is made on the title page of this book. According to the author Mike Richardson this is an old Japanese saying. The story of the 47 Ronin is certainly a compelling story. The true events behind the story took place in the feudal society of early eighteenth century Japan. The story itself is simple enough. A nobleman named Kira insulted a hotheaded nobleman named Asano. During the quarrel in the palace of the Shogun Asano drew his weapon on Kira. It was a crime punishable by death to draw a weapon in the house of the shogun. Lord Asano, was convicted and ordered to commit seppuko, a ritualistic suicide. Asano’s legacy was further disgraced when his family was stripped of its possessions and his samurai were cast adrift as ronin. Even though Kira should have been punished as well his influence allowed him to go free, even though he instigated the event.

After one year forty-seven of Asano’s samurai, led by his chief retainer Oishi Yoshio, banded together, attacked the residence of Kira. They killed his retainers and then killed Kira. Even though many admired them for avenging their lord they were convicted of murder and ordered to commit seppuko. They did so and have been honored by many as the embodiment of the Bushido code ever since. 

This story has spawned art, plays, books, operas, songs, poems, and film. Now it has come to the world of comic books. For Mike Richardson, founder of Dark Horse Comics,  this is a work of love. He has studied the story of the 47 Ronin for over 25 years. He finally decided to write the story. The book is well written. The pace is just right for the story. He doesn’t make the mistake of many writers and clutter up the story with a lot of historical background, rather he lets the story unfold for the reader. There are a lot a powerful moments in this book. Oishi knows that he and his men have to make everyone believe that they are broken and pose no threat. To this end they abandon loved ones, take menial jobs, pretend to be drunks.

Stan Sakai was the perfect artist to bring this story to life. Best known for his Usagi Yjimbo series, he has a wonderful grasp of the traditional look of the period. For this book he drew is inspiration from Ogata Gekko, a well known Japanese artist form the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Gekko created a well known set of prints based on this story. Even though Sakai may have used Gekko as his inspiration, his style is all his own.

This is a moving and powerful story and deserves to be treated with respect. Richardson and Sakai have done just that with this outstanding book. I recommend that you pre-order this book now. 

The Shadow, Volume 3: The Light of the World by Chris Roberson and Giovanni Timpano

Title: The Shadow, Volume 3: The Light of the World

Author: Chris Roberson

Artist: Giovanni Timpano

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Who knows what evil lurks in the the hearts of men? The Shadow of course. This time The Shadow is up against a dangerous opponent. There is a serial killer on the loose and the police have no leads. All they know is that the victims are killed with swords. The killer is a mysterious woman who calls herself The Light. The Light, is killing sinners in order to free their divine soul from their corrupt flesh. 

So now The Shadow must track down and stop The Light in order to end this killing spree. If you find that last sentence to be ironic then you are getting the point of the story. Nothing is as it seems. Chris Roberson is doing an excellent job as the writer of The Shadow. Bad pulp fiction is easy, but good pulp fiction is hard. Roberson writes excellent stories. The pacing is amazing. The story never slows down, but you feel like you have read a full book by the time you get to the end. I love the subtle ways that he brings images and ideas into the story. At one point you think that the story is going to revolve around another Seven Deadly Sins killer, but it's not that easy.

Roberson is able to to tell this story so effectively thanks to the amazing art work of Giovanni Timpano. Timpano does an excellent job of capturing the look and feel of the 1930s. There is a lush, rich look to the pages. This is pulp fiction art at its best. Together Roberson and Timpano have captured the feel of the classic Shadow stories while at the same time making the stories feel modern. 

This is a treat for any lover of classic pulp fiction. If you love great pulp fiction then get this book and enjoy.

Red Sonja Volume 1: Queen of Plagues by Gail Simone and Walter Geovani

Red Sonja Volume 1: Queen of Plagues

Writer: Gail Simone

Artist: Walter Geovani

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Pages: 186

Publication Date: February 25, 2014

MSRP: $19.99

Rating: 5 Stars

Let me say right off that I am not a huge reader of comics. I love good storytelling in any genre and I love good comic books. Most of the time I don’t find a lot to keep me interested these days. I am a sucker for classic sword and sorcery books and comics. So when I saw this new series from Dynamite starring everyone’s favorite redhead with a sword I was excited. Gail Simone has written some great stuff over the years and this volume is no exception.

This is classic Red Sonja material. It is also something new and fresh. Sonja’s story has been updated for this new run. Of course the old themes and images are there. What would a Robert Howard character be without seeing her family butchered and then taking revenge. What’s nice in this arc is that Simone takes time to give us brief flashbacks of Sonja’s past. She makes these interesting. The flashbacks are long enough to give us a scene, but short enough that they don’t slow down the narrative. 

In the story a king who once saved Sonja from a horrible fate is in trouble. Sonja comes to the rescue. We meet a lot of new characters. The sisters Ayla and Nias are very interesting. The character of Dark Annisia is well written. It’s great that our She Devil has an opponent who is equally strong and a woman.

Most important is the character of Sonja herself. Simone brings a lot of humanity to the character. One of the flashback scenes is particularly moving. We see Sonja as a young woman. Her family and village is wiped out in front of her. After escaping from one of the raiders she then buries the dead in her village. We learn that among her people the dead are never left unburied. This is where Simone really hooked my interest in the depth of the character. Among ancient cultures such customs were sacred and binding. The part about a young Sonja digging graves until her hands bled made the story seem so real. I don't want to give away too much. There are some great plot twists in this arc and saying too much will spoil some of the surprises.

Sonja is a difficult character to write well. After all, this is a woman who is supposed to be this amazing warrior. She is an expert with every weapon and every form or fighting. She is a strategist and an unstoppable killer. She manages to do all of this while wearing a bikini suit of armor. The question is how does one take this character seriously, yet keeping the classic look. Simone manages this with great skill.

The artwork by Walter Geovani is wonderful. It’s not over the top, but it is not subdued. He captures the perfect look for Sonja and the other characters. He work captures the mood and feel of Simone’s writing. These two make a perfect duo for sword and sorcery comics. There is action and fun, but there is also an emotional depth that is not normally found in fantasy comics. I plan to come back for more and recommend that you do too.