Sam Thorne reviews Bushido: The Way of the Warrior #1…
‘VAMPIRES IN FEUDAL JAPAN! Kichiro is an outsider in feudal Japan. Lacking the Japanese blood that would allow him to become a samurai, Kichiro must fulfill his dreams of serving the shogun in a less traditional manner… by eliminating every foreign supernatural threat that rears its fangs!‘
Vampires vs Samurai? 17th century feudal Japan? It seems brand new mini-series Bushido: The Way of the Warrior from Image, is a rather colourful one. The clear gimmicks shouldn’t fool you though, the writing and art style are actually rather serious considering the seemingly goofy concept.
A young American boy is on a ship sailing the Pacific Ocean in 1663, as his boat is invaded by vampiric pirates, his parents killed, as he manages to drift to shore. The young boy is taken in by a Japanese local as his body washes up, given the new name of ‘Kichiro’, simply meaning ‘lucky one’. The man raises him to be a noble warrior, training him in the art of the katana. Because the boy is a gaijin (cultural outsider) he is not eligible to become a true samurai. His adoptive brother Orochi becomes jealous of his fathers attachment to Kichiro. Kichiro feels shamed for being an outsider, and opts to leave Edo. Before he can depart, and impromptu vampire invasion causes Kichiro to doubt his decision.
The story by Rob Levin is surprisingly good. It’s mainly surprising because when I read the synopsis I expected the story to be a lot more cheesy, garish, and overdone, in an almost Cowboys vs Aliens kind of way. Much to my chagrin the story focuses on Kichiro, and his inability to become a true samurai. The vampires mainly chimed in at the end and beginning. The whole adoptive brother/rivalry arc is great, and quite gripping. I’m genuinely interested to see where that goes across the next 4 issues. On that same subject, with so much material covered in one issue, I’m doubtful that the other 4 issues will be able to follow suit without some dull filler along the line somewhere. Overall, a pretty engrossing first issue with no complaints.
As good as the story is, the art by Jessada Sutthi is pretty incredible. Even the interiors we see for a few panels look so textured and vibrant. The Asian vibe is captured to a tee, I’m also a big fan of the darker palette of colours used in a very minimalist fashion. The depth of field of the style is also impressive, the use of shadows and textures to create the space in the panel is done rather well. The vampires are perhaps a bit stereotypical, and uninteresting to look at, but I can forgive Bushido for that one minor fault.
A solid and captivating story, with an intriguing and well developed art-style. Bushido: Way of the Warrior is off to a good start with #1, if the subject matter interests you I urge you to pick it up.
Sam Thorne
Originally published October 20, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
