Shinku #5
Publisher: Image
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Lee Moder
Cover: Lee Moder, Matthew Waite, & Michael Atiyeh
With Shinku attempting to recover from injuries she suffered last issue, Lord Asano has come to finish what he started. It’s a good thing Oshima steps up to provide a distraction, but it’s not enough to stop him from snatching Davis and using him as bait for Shinku to come after the vampire Lord. This leads to a blood soaked battle between the two, as Shinku ventures to the lair of her sworn enemy.
It’s been some time since we’ve been treated to Shinku and her vampire killing adventures, but the creative team behind this series has made sure that it was well worth the wait. Marz wraps up this arc with some well scripted violence, and several character revelations if you look deep enough. Quite noticeably Shinku’s reaction to Davis being thrown out of the building. It seems as if there is a bit of a soft spot somewhere in that hardened demeanor of hers, and Davis is more than just a means to an end. This makes for more than just a classic revenge story, as Marz blends just enough character building that it doesn’t get in the way of the action. Marz also has Shinku make a very strong statement at the end, which I feel is also a message to the readers regarding what he and the rest of the creative have in store for readers.
There is so much eye candy in this issue that it’s hard to nail down just one particular great looking page. Moder, Waite, and Atiyeh made sure to deliver page after page of awesome looking story here. The issue is action heavy, and Moder knows how to move it with the impact of those great fight scenes out of a movie. The silhouetted panels really take the violence to another level and are used just enough to keep things from getting repetitive. What’s also great is when Marz chooses not to use dialog, and just lets the artist tell the story.
What we get in Shinku is a title that’s consistently a great read with eye catching artwork. This is one of those titles that shouldn’t be slept on since it’s delivering the quality that comic fans have been demanding from their books.
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
