Now, normally I don't care to repeat myself, especially so quickly. Having just reviewed Usagi Yojimbo a few weeks ago, I was at first hesitant to talk up another samurai comic. I decided to go for it, based on two factors: The first is the quality of the work, which I think speaks for itself. It would have been a disservice to both myself and you, the public, if I let this comic go by the wayside. The second factor was the contrast between these two comics, which so perfectly illustrates the variety of comic books that I hit upon in my last review.

Samurai: Heaven and Earth, begins in Japan, at the beginning of the 18th century. Asuki Shiro is a samurai, in service to Lord Tokudaiji, and in love with the beautiful Lady Yoshiko. He is a warrior at peace. He has a good position and a fly lady. This lasts for about 15 pages, when Lord Tokudaiji's castle is sacked, the people slaughtered, and Lady Yoshiko taken as spoils of war. Sucks to be him, huh?

Shiro, in a dashing display of manliness, swears that he will follow his love to the ends of the earth. And he proceeds to do exactly that. To China, across Asia, and all the way to France. Along the way adventures are had, some sword fighting happens, and a lot of folk go down in a swaggering display of pure samurai pimp-slappage.

Written by Ron Marz, well known in the comics industry for his work on titles including Green Lantern, Silver Surfer, and Witchblade, weaves an interesting, if not emotionally complex tale. This comic could have the SoulCalibur logo slapped on the cover and not miss a beat. Where Usage Yojimbo was a sprawling epic and meditation of the life and world of a samurai, Samurai is pure action movie goodness.

What makes the comic really work is the art of Luke Ross. The art is realistic and detailed, beautiful where it should be beautiful, ugly where is should be ugly, and packed to the brim with action. The fight scenes are rendered with extra majesty, for those of you who are aficionados of that sort of thing.



Samurai: Heaven and Earth isn't the best comic ever. Probably not even 5th best. But like it cultural antecedents, it doesn't the job that it sets out to do. It gets in, murders a couple armies worth of mooks, punches Louis the XIV in the face, and rides off into the sunset. The first volume is available from Dark Horse for $15.

Questions? Hate-filled Diatribes? Suggestions for Future Reviews? Send them all to tpanshin@nerdlives.com, or post to the Nerdlives forums.

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Tobiah Panshin was born in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, taught all he knows by the animal companions that raised him. As many fine naturalists will however note, Badgers and Woodchucks are notoriously bad at algebra. His math and science skills doomed from an early age, young Tobiah followed the only path available to him: the Humanities. Today, Liberal Arts degree in hand, he pursues with the dogged determination of a short-tailed shrew the pathetic, poverty bestrewn life of a writer. Armed with the strongest weapons he possesses--the umlaut, the gerund phrase, and the mighty schwa--he battles the English Language in a never-ending struggle for domination.