Ninja Scroll #1

September 25, 2006

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Jigoku Part 1

The anime hit comes to comics!

Writer: J. Torres
Art: Michael Chang Ting Yu
Colors: Wildstorm FX
Letters: Nick J. Napolitano
Editor: Ben Abernathy & Scott Peterson
Cover Art: Michael Chang Ting Yu
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm

I’ve got to be honest – this is one of those instances where I’m just not that into the parent property, that that quells any real enthusiasm I could muster for comic book. For what it is, this seems like a pretty decent story – Jubei Kibagami wanders the land, fighting monsters, and encounters some familiar characters (to him, at least) at the end.

Fans of the series will get more out of this. The real problem is that new readers aren’t really given much to latch on to. Jubei is pretty much your standard ninja warrior, and even the opening sequence showing off how good he is feels sort of clichéd. There’s not really anything unique for us to hang our hat on, nothing that makes us decide we want to stay a while.

The artwork, by Michael Chang Ting Yu, is a step up from the writing. He has a nice, clear style that keeps the elements we think of as “anime” (particularly in the facial features), but gives us a bit more in the way of realism with the body types and monsters. Wildstorm FX also gives us some nifty coloring that makes the artwork pop.

Like I said, I’m not really the target audience for this book. If you are, give it another point and check it out.

Rating: 6/10