The Kastle Tower

REVIEW: Bushi Tales #1 of 3 $3.95

After hearing good things about this comic on Comic Geek Speak and seeing some good promo material, I was really looking forward to this book. I went on a Comic Road Trip (kinda like toy runs in toy collecting) this weekend here in Denver and picked this up at a LCS on Wadsworth Blvd. This store bags all their monthlies so I wasn't able to browse the pages. Yet, from what I had heard and seen, I really didn't care...

...until I got home. Now I won't say it was bad. I actually liked it, but I wasn't blown away. I will give it the next couple of issues to pull it through. Yet, after only one book and knowing there's only two more, I'm worried on how this story will ramp up and then close. At first impression, it started in the manner of a title that is either an ongoing series or at least set for 6+ issues.

The art by David Betty and Lin Workman was very well done. Yet the presentation in the book was slightly poor. Lin Workman gets credits as a colorist yet the book is in black and white. It basically looks like this comic was fully colored then copied on a xerox machine in b&w. So basically some of the panels are dark and the tones don't give much contrast to the art which would be awesome in color. I found myself looking hard at the panels to see all of the detail. The last panel on page 5 confused me and I couldn't really figure it out until I saw further panels on page 9. I don't mind a b&w book but I want the tones to be done in consideration of such. Otherwise, the panel progression and pacing worked very well.

Like I sorta touched on, the story starts out a bit slow. Its premise is about a Bushido type clan set in the far future although it appears to be the past. It begins with two guards, Kitaro and Hagino, being attacked by a large wolf. Kitaro gets mauled and Hagino runs to ring the signal bell. As the other guards arrive, the wolf retreats. As the situation calms, they find Hagino is missing and Kitaro clings to life. The story then introduces a young woman named Akiyo and she swears vengeance on the giant wolves. A hunting party departs and quickly finds the trail of the wolves only to find them led by a giant. A battle ensues...

With only 19 pages of story, I left wanting more. The writing was good yet it seemed a bit simple and not much filler. Dialog told me a horse was named Strider which I wasn't too fond of. Sorry but I guess Lord of the Rings ruined the uniqueness of Strider as a name for man...or horse. Also, the story makes notations as what some terms mean, such as katanas, misogi and meijin. After the core story, the issue also includes a "who's who" style character break down on Akiyo. Also included is a 3 page prose story called "The Monster" by David Beaty and some nicely detailed illustrations. And the 32 page book ends with a "behind the scenes" sketch book and character design gallery. There is also a page of cool Bushi Tales swag and stuff you can buy from www.BushiTales.com.

Final Thoughts: Besides being a bit irritated by the contrast tones and wishing for a bit better presentation of the panel art, I did enjoy the character designs and art. The story has yet to truly grab me but I will stay with it until the 3rd issue. For the price, $3.95 an issue, I might suggest some to wait for a trade or all-in-one type publication. If you like bushido and fantasy stories, then I would recommend you pick this up and judge for yourself. Although being a bit harsh on the first issue, this could very well be the next Mouse Guard and these first printed issues will only go up in value and become more desired issues. ***