| Comic Review | Paul Milligan |
Silent Dragon #6 (of 6)
Writer: Andy Diggle
Pencils: Leinil Francis Yu
Inker: Gerry Alanguilan
Colors: Dave Stewart
It’s
the final showdown between Renjiro, the Yakuza leaders who
betrayed him and the corrupt government officials who were
using him. Renjiro, in the guise of the cybernetically
enhanced arms dealer Reizo, has carefully manipulated all
the players into his trap. Now all that remains is to exact
his revenge and win back the woman he loves. But things
never turn out quite how you plan.
The first few issues of this series were somewhat of a
disappointment to me, as I had been pretty excited about the
book when it was first announced. It started off slow and a
little awkward and didn’t seem to be delivering the fast
paced action and excitement one might expect from a series
populated by honor bound samurai, ninja robots and
genetically enhanced hitmen. But by the time the third issue
debuted my fears were laid to rest as the backstory had been
set, all of the players were established and the butt
kicking commenced. Since then it’s been a rollercoaster ride
of back stabbing, gun totting, sword-swingin’, giant samurai
ninja robot exploding action. The final issue of the series
really delivers as everyone gets what’s coming to them in
the most spectacular ways. There’s also a few twists and
turns I didn’t see coming, scenes that left my jaw on the
floor. And that last page… wow!
One of the best parts of this series is the spectacular
artwork of Leinil Yu, especially after he was allowed to cut
loose on issue three, delivering some of the coolest action
scenes I’ve ever witnessed in a comic book. And the detail
is incredible, from the bullet holes in the burnout palace
of Yakuza warlord Hideaki to the beaten and battered shell
of Renjiro’s robotic body. This is the kind of story Yu was
born to draw. Quick, somebody make this series into a movie!
I’ll be the first in line opening day!
Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of
Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance
preview books for review purposes.
