Review: Samurai: Heaven and Earth #1

Samurai: Heaven and Earth #1

Posted: Tuesday, December 14
By: Michael Deeley

Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Luke Ross

Publisher: Dark Horse

In 1704, Lord Tokudaiji and his army face certain death against the
hordes of Chinese warlord Hsiao. Samurai Asukai Shiro spends the
last night before the battle with his lover Yoshiko. He promises
her, no matter what, he will allow "nothing in heaven or on earth to
come between us". The next day, Tokudaiji and his men fight to their
deaths. Asukai survives when he's buried in rubble from the castle.
He learns that Hsiao kidnapped Lady Yoshiko. Before he can join his
lord and comrades in death, he must fulfill the vow he made to his
love.

This looks and feels like a CrossGen comic. Not only does Marz
write `Samurai' in a style similar to CrossGen's `Scion', but
colorist Jason Keith was also `Scion's colorist. Add to that Luke
Ross' art looking almost exactly like Greg Land's (who provides the
cover), and I'd swear this was an unpublished CrossGen comic.

`Samurai: Heaven and Earth' has a samurai that puts his love ahead
of his honor. I've often seen samurai portrayed as intense warriors
who value their code of honor more than anyone's life, including
their own. It's refreshing to see a samurai portrayed as a lover
instead of a fighter. It's his love for Yoshiko that drives Asukai
to fight, rather than loyalty to his lord and country.

According to the text piece at the end of the issue, Asukai's quest
for Yoshiko takes him through Europe. Why is a Japanese samurai
searching for a Chinese warlord in Europe? I don't know. That should
be revealed in future issues. And since there's no sign of this trip
in this issue, nor does any character appear in Europe, I give this
book 4 bullets instead of 5. I think that's an important element of
the story and should have been included in the opening chapter.

As it stands, this is a fine comic. It's well worth your money and
your time. And I'm not just saying that because Ron Marz sent it to
me for free. If you like samurai stories, quests for lost loves, or
penciled art from Brazilians, you'll like this book.