Blandishments (Manga) 4/28/99
Dave 'The Knave' White
1/4
This week's review is Blade of the Immortal: Dark Shadows #4. And,
even though it's technically not manga, I'm including my review of
Mega Dragon & Tiger #1 here, too.
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BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL: DARK SHADOWS #4 (Dark Horse Comics)
* story and art by Hiroaki Samura
* translation by Dana Lewis & Toren Smith
* lettering and retouch by Tomoko Saito
Kagehisa Anotsu is allying Itto-Ryu with the shogunate, but that
decision doesn't sit well with Magatsu...
I've really been enjoying this "Dark Shadows" storyline, and this
issue is the best installment yet. Magatsu is one of the series' more
interesting villains; he's not an inspired freak like Kuroi Sabato, or
a cold political manipulator like Anotsu, but a real person with
simple goals and an engaging personality. It makes sense, given his
deep-seated hatred of samurai, that he would sever his ties with
Itto-Ryu now that they've gone legit; what's more surprising, though,
is how Anotsu takes it all with good grace and a tinge of regret.
They're still friends, I suppose, even if they're not allies.
Giving Magatsu a girlfriend (of sorts) also helps humanize his
character. While on one hand she's primarily around to voice sentiments
about Magatsu that the tight-lipped kenshi dare not say out loud, she
also provides a much needed feminine counterpoint to his steely
resolve. And her sadness over their break-up is really an excellent
way to drive home everything that Magatsu is leaving behind, just
because of his principles. In the few pages she's in the issue, she
manages to become so much more than a one-shot character. (Well,
maybe. I know what happens to her next issue, and you don't. Neener
neener neener.)
Hiroaki Samura's excellent storytelling skills are what really make
this issue shine, though. There's not a single scene that isn't
arranged for maximum emotional effect. I just have too many favorites
here to even choose. Here are three excellent highlights:
On page 11, Magatsu takes his leave of anotsu. The sequence, told in
tall, vertical panels, starts with a framing shot of Magatsu's parting
wave in front of a distant shot of Anotsu. We cut up quickly to a
lingering close-up of Anotsu's pensive and shadowed face, and then to
a shot of the retreating Magatsu from his perspective. And finally, on
page 12, a full-page shot of Anotsu from above and behind which
emphasizes how he's standing alone in the courtyard. This scene so
effectively drives home the loss Anotsu feels at Magatsu's departure,
and is so dramatic that it stopped me for almost a minute when I first
paged through the book.
On page 19, O-Ren discusses her relationship with Magatsu. Most of the
dialogue is O-Ren's, but the page starts with a tight over-the
shoulder close-up of Magatsu's impassive face as he hears her
complaint (the over-the-shoulder shot effectively blocks Magatsu's
facial features, and makes him seem even more stoic than usual). This
is followed up by a tight close-up on her face (she seems ready to
break into tears), and an establishing shot showing how they're
sitting with their backs to each other (so close, yet so far
away). And finally, in the last panel, Magatsu refutes her arguments
while tightening the knot on his satchel, almost as if he's trying to
leave in a hurry before her arguments start to affect him. Great
stuff.
And what about that closing sequence on page 24? A panel of O-Ren,
bunched up and leaning over Magatsu's reclining form, the crumpling of
her clothes and her anguished posture belying a terrible sadness,
followed quickly by a close up of Magatsu's face with her tears
spattering on his forehead? And how about that last panel, an exterior
shot of the roof and sky that so excellently segues from the scene
without spoiling its mood? Wow.
Another great issue of BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL. If you're not reading
this series yet, you should be. There's not so much backstory that you
can't jump on right now, and if you're a completist who wants to start
from the beginning there are three excellent TPBs available right now.
What are you waiting for?
MEGA DRAGON & TIGER #1 (Image Comics)
* story and art by Tony Wong
* translation by Wai Yin Lee (t) James D. Hudnall (a)
* lettering and retouch by James D. Hudnall
In 1999, the world is devastated by radioactive meteorites. In 2020,
the survivors have set up a fascist state where those with enhanced
"brain power" rule the weak with psychic powers.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: most of the Chinese comics
I've read have been truly awful. MEGA DRAGON & TIGER is no exception.
The premise of the series is thoroughly unoriginal; essentially, it's
a remake of FIST OF THE NORTH STAR with some bits tacked on that make
the story look different (but which don't really change what's inside
one iota). It doesn't take much effort to put thinly-veiled Nazis or a
martial arts tournament in a post-holocaust background. That's not to
say even these poor ideas couldn't be salvaged by intelligent scripts
and well-written characters.
Yeah, like you're going to see those in _this_ comic.
There are reasons you rarely see a story told entirely in narrative
captions; they slow down the pace of a narrative by belabouring every
action, and they greatly reduce reader identification with the story.
The majority of MEGA DRAGON & TIGER is related in this fashion,
however, and the results are predictably dull. As for characters,
well, the two main characters only appear in 6 pages of this 41-page
story, and they aren't developed beyond their basic stereotypes
(cold-hearted perfectionist bastard and well-meaning, hard-on-himself
extrovert).
It doesn't help that the writing is totally atrocious; the captions
seem to have been lifted straight from the stage directions, the plot
twists are totally uninspired, and the dialogue is stilted. Given some
of excellent adaptations James D. Hudnall has worked on in the past,
I'd like to blame the awful dialogue entirely the original Chinese
versions. But then, he did write some unreadable issues of ALPHA
FLIGHT, too...
Tony Wong's art could use some work. Like SOLARLORD, there are some
truly impressive painted panels, which tend to stand out like a sore
thumb amongs the sketchy, badly laid-out and pastel-colored garbage
around them. Perhaps the nicest thing I can really say about the art
is that some of the fight scenes are imaginatively illustrated;
there's one gorgeous panel where one fighter wraps his weapon around
another fighter's head. That one panel, with its whooshing zip lines
amplifying the action, really kicks ass. But it's the only truly
outstanding panel in the whole story, and even it's ruined by Wong's
generic character design and poor spotting of detail.
So again, another Chinese comic proves somewhat less than satisfactory.
I have a feeling the entire Jade Dynasty line will prove similarly
disappointing. Defintely avoid this one, folks.
Aw, what the hell do I know anyway?
--
Read the Japanese Beetle comic strip -- it's funnier than a bag of
hammers! Updated every weekday at http://www.wfcomics.com/beetle.
DAVE "THE KNAVE" WHITE, talentless hack kn...@sgi.net
"Look, this isn't art. It's mindless pabulum for people who can barely
read. Oh, that reminds me - I have an interview with People Magazine."
--Duke Phillips, "The Critic"