In comic book circles, there is some debate about which is the greatest breed of legendary warriors: ninjas or samurai. For my money, samurai have the ninja beat by a mile. Sure, ninja can do all that hopping around, stealthy stuff. They can poison your food or sneak up behind you and stab you with their fancy ninja blades, but is that really any way for a deadly martial artist to act? Would you hang out with someone who did that to you?
Samurai, on the other hand, are noble warriors who will look you in the eye. A samurai will tell you how he's going to kill you, give you the first shot, and still take you down before you know what happened. Now THAT'S impressive! Asukai Shiro, the star of Dark Horse's Samurai: Heaven and Earth (Vol. 2, #1) by Ron Marz and Luke Ross, is a prime example of the honorable samurai warrior. He fights for a just cause, he gives his opponents fair warning before they die at his hand, and he stays cool and calm even in the face of insurmountable odds. I'd like to see a ninja top that!
Shiro is on a quest to rescue his kidnapped love Lady Yoshiko. He swears to cross Heaven and Earth to be reunited with her, and is well on his way to keeping that vow. Having crossed all of Asia and most of Europe on Yoshiko's trail, Shiro finds himself in Spain as this volume of the series opens. Being a stranger in a strange land puts him at a bit of a disadvantage, so Shiro has to recruit some unwilling local to help him pick up his lost love's trail. Of course, some people just don't believe Shiro when he says they will help him or die. As you can probably imagine, some of those skeptics end up on the wrong end of Shiro's sword. (That's the sharp end, if you couldn't guess.)
This book has a great, epic story with beautiful, realistic art. Both Marz and Ross have done their research, as this historical tale looks and feels very authentic. If you love Lone Wolf and Cub, Frank Miller's Ronin, or even those Wolverine issues where he goes to Japan, you should check out Samurai: Heaven and Earth #1. This book has tragic romance, historical drama, plenty of action, and a cool samurai hero. If that isn't enough to entice you, it looks like Shiro may be running afoul of some pirates soon. Nobody can resist pirates. Pirates are cooler than ninjas, too.
Don't skulk in the shadows! Boldly make your way to Four Color Fantasies, where you can do the honorable thing and try out this guaranteed Book of the Week.
Samurai, on the other hand, are noble warriors who will look you in the eye. A samurai will tell you how he's going to kill you, give you the first shot, and still take you down before you know what happened. Now THAT'S impressive! Asukai Shiro, the star of Dark Horse's Samurai: Heaven and Earth (Vol. 2, #1) by Ron Marz and Luke Ross, is a prime example of the honorable samurai warrior. He fights for a just cause, he gives his opponents fair warning before they die at his hand, and he stays cool and calm even in the face of insurmountable odds. I'd like to see a ninja top that!
Shiro is on a quest to rescue his kidnapped love Lady Yoshiko. He swears to cross Heaven and Earth to be reunited with her, and is well on his way to keeping that vow. Having crossed all of Asia and most of Europe on Yoshiko's trail, Shiro finds himself in Spain as this volume of the series opens. Being a stranger in a strange land puts him at a bit of a disadvantage, so Shiro has to recruit some unwilling local to help him pick up his lost love's trail. Of course, some people just don't believe Shiro when he says they will help him or die. As you can probably imagine, some of those skeptics end up on the wrong end of Shiro's sword. (That's the sharp end, if you couldn't guess.)
This book has a great, epic story with beautiful, realistic art. Both Marz and Ross have done their research, as this historical tale looks and feels very authentic. If you love Lone Wolf and Cub, Frank Miller's Ronin, or even those Wolverine issues where he goes to Japan, you should check out Samurai: Heaven and Earth #1. This book has tragic romance, historical drama, plenty of action, and a cool samurai hero. If that isn't enough to entice you, it looks like Shiro may be running afoul of some pirates soon. Nobody can resist pirates. Pirates are cooler than ninjas, too.
Don't skulk in the shadows! Boldly make your way to Four Color Fantasies, where you can do the honorable thing and try out this guaranteed Book of the Week.
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