Review: Cold Blood Samurai #1

STORY

Most of the time my reviews are of ongoing comics and many of those times I am jumping in to a series I am not personally following with any regularity. So its times like these that I am especially delighted to be a reviewer for the Comic Crusaders when I am handed a number one issue to enjoy and analyze.

Today I got to read Action Lab’s Cold Blood Samurai. I must say that samurai culture (Japanese culture really), films and manga hold a special place in my heart so I might be a bit biased here but I will strive to be objective as always for my readers. Now the idea of doing anthropomorphic animal stories in a realistic context is nothing new, from Yusagi Yojimbo to Maus is not a new idea but it is far from an overused one. Much like Maus the author Rosi interchanges historical context in this animalized tale of Japan entering the a period that would lead to the Meiji restoration. The Japanese are portrayed as frogs while the Westerners coming to colonize Japan are lizards. There are even crab bandits in the story making it truly a story of cold blooded creatures.

The story as I’ve mentioned is set in a time when Japan was both forced and seduced away from its isolationist standing and into trade with the West which can be an interesting and non standard backdrop for a samurai epic. There are plenty of samurai tropes for die hard fans of the genre including sordplay, political intrigue, philosophy, tragedy, debts of honor and vengeful grudges an even villagers asking for the help of a skilled warrior. Basically all the stuff you want in a proper samurai tale.

ART

The artwork for the book is quite good, the pencils and inks are lush and filled with detail and nuanced. Ceregatti’s character designs are excellent and he gets the greatest milage out of the position of the mouths and large eyes of the reptiles and amphibians for maximum expressiveness. It gives the reader a clear way to both understand the mood of said characters and to connect and empathize with creatures so far removed from our mammalian familiarity.

The colors are a real standout in an already good book. I can’t help but wonder if the overall palette of mostly desaturated hues hi-lighted by splashes of color are meant to reflect the natural colors of the reptillian cast on purpose or if this is a lucky accident. It seems as if this could make the book muddy or murky, with the characters blending into the background but the colorist masterfully ensures that there is plenty of clarity in the art and I never had to decipher what I was looking at.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Anyone who is a fan of the samurai genre will undoubtedly enjoy this book. Even if you art typically into books that switch animals for people this is a great first issue to a classic ronin story. 5 out of 5

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

REVIEW: COLD BLOOD SAMURAI 1

Writer: Massimo Rosi
Art: Ludovica Ceregatti
Colors: Renato Stevanato