Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: SAMURAI’S BLOOD VOLUME 1

SAMURAI’S BLOOD VOLUME 1
IMAGE COMICS/BENAROYA PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Michael Benaroya and Owen Wiseman
SCRIPT: Owen Wiseman
PENCILS: Nan Kim
INKS: Matthew Dalton
COLORS: Sakti Yuwono of Imaginary Friends Studios
LETTERS: John Aitken
COVER: Jo Chen
ISBN: 978-1-60706-488-6; paperback
172pp, Color, $14.99 U.S.

Samurai’s Blood is a six-issue miniseries produced by Benaroya Publishing and published by Image Comics in 2011. Created by Michael Benaroya and Owen Wiseman, the series is set in Japan. The story takes place during the early Edo period in the middle of the 17th Century and follows three teenagers’ quest for revenge. The entire series is collected in a trade paperback, Samurai’s Blood Volume 1, and includes a short story set in the world of Samurai’s Blood written by Wiseman, who wrote the script for the series.

Samurai’s Blood begins when an embittered noble, Lord Gakushi, first betrays his daimyo, Sanjo Dewa, and then, goes on a rampage to destroy the Sanjo Clan. He also kills Sanjo Goro, but three clan members escape. Two of them are Goro’s son Junichi (or “Jun”) and his sister, Mayuko (or “Yuko”). The third is a young man named Kajiro Katashi, who is the son of one of Goro’s retainers. Kajiro plans to marry Yuko, and he is also training to become a samurai.

Leaving their mountain village of Eiwa, the three eventually reach the city of Yamagata, where they plot revenge against Gakushi and his second-in-command, the evil Araku. They take on new identities. Jun becomes Kaio Fukuyama and Kajiro becomes Haniya Toshimitsu. Their path to vengeance, however, fits all the stereotypes about paths to vengeance. It is fraught with peril; it is long and winding. It is filled with so many sidetracks and tributaries that these teenagers may lose themselves before they gain any of what they want.

The first issue of Samurai’s Blood that read was issue #2. Back then, one of the things that immediately stood out to me was how dense and layered the storytelling was. Not only was there a lot of dialogue, but there were also many captions and some of those contained philosophical expositions about the way of the samurai.

The script for this entire series, written by Owen Wiseman, is convoluted and confused, but I don’t mean that as a criticism. This is a well-written graphic novel in which strong characters are the spine that joins bloody fight scenes with intense and dramatic confrontations of the non-killing sort to create a unified whole.

I call this convoluted and confused because those words describe what becomes of the characters’ lives and their journey. I think Wiseman gets that revenge is an end, and that everything between the beginning (the declaration that one is seeking revenge) and the end is either shadowy or certainly more complex than it might appear. Beginning the quest is easy, but it is far easier to lose oneself in the disorder and uncertainty. One must solve the mysteries and see through obstructions to get to the end (revenge). The surprise of Samurai’s Tale is that there are so many surprises and changes that by the end, you will likely not see the characters the way you did in the first issue.

Wiseman’s tale is told in beautiful art by Nam Kim (pencils) and Matthew Dalton (inks) that superbly captures the drama and the violence in an energetic graphic style. Their art resembles Joe Madureira’s art during his tenure on Uncanny X-Men back in the mid-1990s. Kim and Dalton take Wiseman’s potent storytelling and turn it into melodramatic splendor – the Joe Mad thing is a bonus for me.

A

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: RED SPIKE VOLUME 1

RED SPIKE VOLUME 1
IMAGE COMICS/BENAROYA PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Michael Benaroya and Jeff Cahn
STORY: Jeff Cahn with Dave Elliot
SCRIPT: Jeff Cahn
ARTISTS: Salvador Navarro and Mark Texeira
COLORS: Ifansyah Noor of Imaginary Friends Studios
LETTERS: John Aitken
COVER: Mark Texeira
ISBN: 978-1-60706-487-9, paperback
144pp, Color, $14.99 U.S.

From Benaroya Publishing, Red Spike is a comic book miniseries created by Michael Benaroya and Jeff Cahn. Written by Cahn and drawn by Salvador Navarro and Mark Texeira, the series is set in a secretive black operations program called Project Red Spike. The entire five issues of the miniseries were recently collected in the trade paperback, Red Spike Volume 1.

Project Red Spike, like many over a 70-year period, was started as a program to create the first super-soldier. Using a process that manipulates and regulates the adrenal gland in human males, Project Red Spike actually succeeded in creating a super-soldier, and they did it twice. Now, Colonel Moyer, the hard-nosed prick who controls Red Spike, is testing the limits of his two new super-human toys, Gregory “Greg” Dane and Matt Cutler. But there are complications, of course.

Greg is having an affair that turns into a full romance with Dr. Margaret Downey, the woman who is supposed to be monitoring his (and Matt’s) mental health. Dane isn’t exactly the obedient solider, and as his behavior grows more insubordinate, he clashes with the straight-arrow Matt Cutler, who obediently follows orders and instructions. Colonel Moyer, who now sees Dane and Cutler as his property, seeks to further experiment with the limits of how much Red Spike can alter these two young men. Meanwhile, Henry Coughlin, formerly directly involved with Project Red Spike, plots to wrest control of the program from Moyer.

My first encounter with Red Spike was the third issue. I noted that it had the “rock solid plotting found in tightly-written, big-budget action movies.” I also mentioned that it had “elements of Captain America and the Jason Bourne films,” and that “it most reminds me of Universal Soldier, the 1992 Van Damme film.” I wrote, “Like the Van Damme films from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, Red Spike is violent and testosterone-filled, but with a humanist lead character who fights because he must.”

Now, that I’ve read the entire miniseries in Red Spike Volume 1, I have to reassess. As a whole, personally, I find the series lacking in action scenes, considering that this book is about a super-soldier program. Artist Salvador Navarro and Mark Texeira offer a few nicely composed fight scenes that left me really wanting more.

This is not to say that Red Spike is overall lacking in pleasures. Despite what the covers for the miniseries suggest, Red Spike is a science fiction/military drama mixed with the elements of a workplace drama and a political soap opera, and it is fun. I enjoyed the backbiting and squabbling. Writer Jeff Cahn sometimes cut back and forth between two scenes, each scene featuring a character doing something to defeat the other character. This reminds me of the best inter-office politics moments of the 1995 film version of Clear and Present Danger.

In my earlier review, I describe the art by Navarro and Texeira as “uninspired” and wrote that it “put a damper on my enjoyment” of the series. Now, that art seems perfect for what Red Spike really is, which is a thriller more than it is an action comic book.

http://www.benaroyapublishing.com/

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews The Vault #2

"Don't open that..."

THE VAULT #2 (OF 3)
IMAGE COMICS

WRITER: Sam Sarkar
ARTIST: Garrie Gastonny
COLORS: Sakti Yuwono
COVER: Garrie Gastonny and Bagus Hutomo
28pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

Sam Sarkar is a former actor turned television writer and is now an executive at Johnny Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil (which is a dumb ass name, I know, but I love me some Depp). Garrie Gastonny of Imaginary Friends Studios drew Warren Ellis’ Supergod and Radical Publishing’s Caliber: First Canon of Justice.

Sarkar is the writer of and Gastonny is the artist on The Vault, a three-issue miniseries from Image Comics. The story focuses on a small team of treasure hunters struggling to excavate a dangerous treasure pit before a massive storm arrives. Nothing can prepare these people for what they are about to unleash.

Archeologists and treasure hunters, Dr. Gabrielle Parker and Dr. Michael Page, seek to unlock the secrets of the treasure pit at Sable Island, known as the “Graveyard of the North Atlantic.” Their team has found something extraordinary.

As The Vault #2 opens, a hurricane bears down on the island. Inside the base, the team squabbles over what to do with the large stone sarcophagus they found in the treasure pit. Should they open it now or wait until they are at a facility better equipped to handle this delicate discovery, as Gabrielle wants? Inside the sarcophagus is a skeleton of something that looks human, but is clearly not.

Well, the first issue was not a fluke. The Vault is an absolutely riveting suspense thriller because this second issue does not let up on the mystery and still offers a thick atmosphere of impending doom. Think of this as Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Abyss meets The Mummy (1999). I like this enough to read it again.

A-

For more information about the artist, please visit http://thegerjoos.deviantart.com/.

Leroy Douresseaux on RED SPIKE #3

RED SPIKE #3 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/BENAROYA PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Michael Benaroya and Jeff Cahn
SCRIPT: Jeff Cahn
ARTISTS: Salvador Navarro and Mark Texeira
COLORS: Ifansyah Noor of Imaginary Friends Studios
LETTERS: John Aitken
COVER: Mark Texeira
28pp, Color, $2.99

My introduction to the comic books of Benaroya Publishing continues with Red Spike, created by Michael Benaroya and Jeff Cahn. Red Spike, a science fiction and action comic book miniseries, follows a group of people involved with Red Spike, a black ops program. Red Spike is a system that exposes young men to chemicals and brain surgery that turns them into super-soldiers. It’s an interesting concept.

As Red Spike #3 begins, readers get back story on the good-boy super-soldier, Matt Cutler. Colonel Moyer, who controls Red Spike, sends Matt on a mission to bring in Greg Dane, who entered the program with Cutler. Dane has gone rogue and is determined not to be brought back to Red Spike. Meanwhile, Dr. Margaret Downey, a scientist in the program, begins to investigate why Greg rebelled.

While it seems to borrow from other comic books and even movies, Red Spike has the kind of rock solid plotting found in tightly-written, big-budget action movies. Red Spike has elements of Captain American and the Jason Bourne films, but it most reminds me of Universal Soldier, the 1992 Van Damme film. Like the Van Damme films from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, Red Spike is violent and testosterone-filled, but with a humanist lead character who fights because he must. This comic book would be nothing but a hoary cliché, if not for the storytelling. Jeff Cahn’s scriptwriting is patient, and that shows in a well-thought out plot and script.

The art by Salvador Navarro and Mark Texeira (I’m not sure who does what) is acceptable in that it tells the story. Other than that, it is mediocre – stiff figure drawing, unimaginative compositions, and bland page design. I found the story quite likeable, but the uninspired art put a damper on my enjoyment.

B

Heavy Metal Joins Imaginary Friends Studios at Comic-Con 2011 International

HEAVY METAL TO UNVEIL SPECIAL IMAGINARY FRIENDS STUDIOS EDITION AT SDCC

Heavy Metal, the premiere magazine for fantasy and science fiction, is proud to announce a special edition that will feature the artists of Imaginary Friends Studios. Set for mass release in September 2011, Heavy Metal will also be presenting a limited edition version at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 with a wraparound cover from IFS co-founder Stanley “Artgerm” Lau.

Based in Singapore and Jakarta with a stable of 30 full-time digital artists, Imaginary Friends Studios has worked on such familiar titles as Dragonlance Chronicles, Powergirl, Batman, Spiderman, Justice League, Superman, Exalted, Witchblade, Contra 4, Front Mission, Everquest, DOTA, World of Warcraft, Warhammer, Street Fighter 3 & 4, Planetside 2, Sleepy Hollow, Star Wars Galaxies, Sideshow Collectibles, Magic the Gathering, as well as promotional and licensing material for major motion pictures including Spiderman 3, The Dark Knight and Green Lantern.

Prior to Heavy Metal, Imaginary Friends Studios has had features in publications 2D Artist, ImagineFX, Advanced Photoshop, Fantasy Art China and international art annuals such as Spectrum and Expose. The studio was even featured separately in FHM South Africa and FHM Singapore, in addition to appearances on television shows, radio segments and news programs.

“This has to be the most exciting project of the year for my beloved Imaginary Friends Studios.” States Imaginary Friends Studios co-founder, Stanley “Artgerm” Lau. “We are proud to announce our collaboration with world renowned magazine Heavy Metal, for a special issue which was completely done by our studios from Singapore & Indonesia. Heavy Metal has always been the premium platform to showcase creative and artistic talent in the industry and we are thankful that Kevin has entrusted us with this precious opportunity.”

Heavy Metal publisher, Kevin Eastman adds, " I am a huge fan of the Imaginary Friends Studio and suggested a featured Gallery on them to guest editor Dave Elliott--what I got was the chance to showcase their legendary talent in an ENTIRE issue of Heavy Metal Magazine! Talk about winning the lottery!"


ABOUT HEAVY METAL
Since first publication in the U.S. in 1977, Heavy Metal stands today as the world's foremost adult illustrated fantasy magazine, having two animated feature films. Heavy Metal's resume of luminary creators include William S. Burroughs, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, John Shirley, H.R. Giger, Luis Royo, Walter Simonson, Jim Steranko, Moebuis, Caza, Esteban Maroto, Arthur Suydam, Dan Steffan, Enki Bilal, Bernie Wrightson and many more. Heavy Metal magazine is published and edited by acclaimed writer and artist Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). For more information, please visit http://www.heavymetal.com/.

ABOUT IMAGINARY FRIENDS STUDIOS
Imaginary Friends Studios is founded by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, one of the top artists on Deviantart.com with close to 6 million page views; Kendrick “Kunkka” Lim, a game designer who worked previously at a Tokyo-based game studio; and Kai “Ukitakumuki” Lim, who at 19 had already art directed two major game mods for Half-Life 2 including Hull Breach and Nuclear Dawn.

Imaginary is much more than a concept art, comics and illustration studio. With its “By-artists-for-artists” mantra and its small but ever-increasing cult-like online fan following, Imaginary truly represents a next-gen creative approach to the creative business by hot-housing its established and fresh new talents, delivering creative services and content to a global audience. For more information, please visit http://www.imaginaryfs.com/.

Leroy Douresseaux on SAMURAI’S BLOOD #2

SAMURAI’S BLOOD #2 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS/BENAROYA PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Michael Benaroya and Owen Wiseman
SCRIPT: Owen Wiseman
PENCILS: Nan Kim
INKS: Matthew Dalton
COLORS: Sakti Yuwono of Imaginary Friends Studios
LETTERS: John Aitken
COVER: Jo Chen (Variant cover by Nan Kim and Matthew Dalton with Jessica Kholinne)
28pp, Color, $2.99

Benaroya Publishing is a recently launched entertainment company that publishes comic books through Image Comics. Samurai’s Blood is a historical drama set in Japan from Benaroya Publishing.

Created by Michael Benaroya and Owen Wiseman, Samurai’s Blood is a six-issue miniseries that follows three young samurai from the destroyed Sanjo Clan. The trio follows an elaborate plan to get revenge on the men responsible for betraying their clan.

As Samurai’s Blood #2 begins, Jun cautions patience in their quest for revenge. Kajiro is mightily impatient, especially after Jun’s sister, his bethrothed, Mayuko is kidnapped. Jun and Kajiro takes on new identities, and they meet Horitomo, a sensei who trains Kajiro to be a better fighter.

One of the things that immediately stood out to me was how dense and layered the storytelling in this second issue of Samurai’s Blood was. Between the dialogue, captions, and philosophical exposition about the way of the samurai, this issue reads like a 56-page comic book instead of a 28-page one. Via his script and story, Owen Wiseman is determined to immerse his readers in this world, and if he fails, it won’t be for lack of information.

Artist Nam Kim is a good storyteller, and Matthew Dalton’s inking polishes some of the awkward aspects of Kim’s figure drawing. That aside, this composition and design capture the look of an authentic jidaigeki. I look forward to more.

B+