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Samurai’s Blood #3 (of 6)

By Stacy Buck
August 17, 2011 - 09:52

There are four ascending levels of suffering in the world and Mayuko is about to learn them all. With Katashi floating unconscious down the river, Mayuko is left to fend for herself against the vile Mistresses Kimori and Yamayuna, as they attempt to break her spirit and make her one of their oiron girls. But just as quickly--as the faintest glimmer of freedom appears—so, too, does it fade away. Innocence must pay the terrible price.

The third installment of the Samurai’s Blood series digs deeper into a world turned upside down for the surviving members of the Sanjo Clan; Mayuko, Katashi, and Jun. Owen Wiseman’s writing draws you in using a narrator too spine a tale of lessons for this issues main character Mayuko. The storyline in this issue was excellent. What I found most compelling about this issue was Wiseman’s ability to write a complete story in a 32 page monthly while still continuing to move along the bigger story. I was eager to read the entire 32 pages and was pleasantly surprised that I found myself caring about what happened to Mayuko. This is where Samurai’s Blood gets a big bucket of win; this comic delivers where so many other comics fall flat.

Jo Chen’s cover is gorgeous; it’s my favorite of the series so far. The art team did an amazing job bringing to life the world of Samurai’s Blood. The small details are amazing. The use of colors follows the emotions of the story perfectly. When things get dark and gloomy, it snows outside. When Mayuko gets mad the world gets red. The artists on this team know how to deliver the goods. The illustrations are clean and modern looking, but still have enough of an edge to fit the historical time of the story. The art alone is reason enough to read Samurai’s Blood.

Samurai’s Blood is just another example of all the great stuff Image Comics is putting together this year. I’m thrilled the creative teams over at Image are willing to put out a series like this. The world of comics needs more high quality non super hero comics and Samurai’s Blood is the type of series that is going to draw in more of the new readers the industry needs. This issue was awesome and I recommend the entire series.
Buy, read, bag, board!

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12