Samurai Jack #12
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Jim Zub
Artist(s): Andy Suriano & Ethan Beavers
Cover: Andy Suriano
The Broken Blade story line continues here, as does Jack’s downward spiral. He is without his sword and Aku not only knows, but has made the entire planet aware that Jack is to be located and destroyed immediately. The samurai won’t go down easy, but he’s at a point where he’s lost the only thing Aku fears, and he’s emotionally broken as well.
Ever since this series was launched, it’s been clear that Jim Zub has been making sure that we enjoy Samurai Jack in comic form just as much as the cartoon. He’s also taking Jack to places that we haven’t seen before both as a character and in his adventures. This issue in particular is one of the more darker stories in the series so far. The bond between a samurai and his blade is serious, but Zub reinforces that it’s much more than that here. Jack’s blade belonged to his father, and it has been a key factor in Aku’s destruction since the very beginning. The flashback with Jack’s mother really nails this, and Zub hits it out of the park. Smart dialogue coupled with great artwork creates a story that moves and looks very well.
Where the artwork is concerned, Suriano and Beavers capture the look of the animated series while delivering a nice sequence of events. There’s nothing here that doesn’t carry the attitude of Samurai Jack, from the action scenes to the quick looks around the planet during Aku’s announcement. This is a series where the artwork has to be just as strong as the narrative, because much like the animated series, there are times where there is very little dialogue. So it’s a very good thing that this series has been one of the best at visual storytelling.
Samurai Jack is a comic that any fan of the show should be reading and enjoying just as much! It’s easily accessible, and Zub even begins each issue the same as the show, so it’s very normal to hear Aku’s voice speak when you open up the cover. So go ahead and pick this issue up, and if you haven’t read the others it’s highly suggested you do so.
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
