Walls of Zhumar (Way of the Rat, Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced martial arts action
Review: Fans of Honk Kong action movies should find Way of the Rat a special treat although anyone who enjoys fast-paced action-filled stories will enjoy it too. Young Boon Sai Hong, a member of a shadowy Thieves Guild, not finding what he was sent to take steals a ring and a book instead - both items of great power - though he doesn't realize this until later. Inadvertently he gains a mentor in the form of a talking monkey who helps Boon throughout the story. Though Boon is disturbed to discover a talking monkey tagging along he quickly realizes he needs all the help he can get no matter where from. There are others also aware of the powerful artifacts who wish to possess them. Some with honorable intentions, others less so. The greedy lord of the city, the leader of a barbarian horde intent on conquest and the daughter of the emperor. All are on a desperate race to aquire the Ring and Book.

The ring is the Ring of Staffs and gives its wielder mastery beyond all others of the martial arts of sticks or staves. The Book (actually a scroll) is the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons and it is no ordinary book for its page is a gateway to Hell itself. There are other Rings and other artifacts but to tell more would spoil the enjoyment of the story. Suffice to say that Boon soon finds he is in for far more than he ever bargained for when every hand and blade is raised against him to obtain the items he stole. And though he begins the story as a small-time thief circumstances reveal a heart capable of compassion and honor. Possession of the Ring and Book begin to change him as awareness of the burden he carries begins to sink in and not all of it is to his liking.

The artwork is particularly well done and many pages display martial arts moves that could be used to learn actual techniques if one were so inclined. Unlike many comics the panels, while active, are never so busy as to be confusing. This is particularly pleasing in my opinion as it makes Way of the Rat very newbie-friendly for someone who has never read a graphic novel or comic before. The inking is clean as is the coloring and lettering. Another interesting tidbid are the occasional Chinese proverbs that begin each chapter. Crossgen comics tend to display a very polished look and this book is no exception. For someone who would like a story that diverges from typical super hero fare with a tight, fast-paced story Way of the Rat is a fine introduction to a new series that's sure to be around for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Hong Kong Film as Comic
Review: In medieval China, the border city of Zhumar is threatened with total destruction at the hands of a a Mongol-like horde from the west. However, the evil judge-ruler of the city has struck a bargain with their warlord. In exchange for several powerful magical artifacts, the city will be spared and the judge will be allowed to rule on. Alas, the schemes of the mighty are wrecked by the lowliest rat-in this case Boon Sai Hong (The Jade Rat), a member of the Thieves Guild who inadvertently steals two of the three artifacts on the very night the judge was to have them stolen. Yes, this is a plot straight out of a Hong Kong flick, and it's probably no coincidence that the bumbling hero-thief bears more than a passing resemblance to a young Jackie Chan. The parallels to Chan's films grow even stronger when his two mentors are introduced, a pudgy fellow who looks an awful lot like Sammo Hung, and another who could be modeled after Yuen Bao. The book's film forebearers are perhaps too much in evidence in some of the action scenes, where the artist's have attempted to capture the visual poetry of the combat acrobatics by creating sort of stop-action, slo-mo renderings of Boon's moves. Many others profess to love the technique, but I found it very off-putting and distracting.

Most of the book has Boon racing around the city, attempting to elude the judge's assassins, his own Thieves Guild brothers (who are displeased with him), and a mysterious masked woman in white (presumably a princess). This plays out again the siege of the city, in which the Mongols are aided by a Russian military engineer who unveiled a massive cannon. The passage of time gets somewhat confusing actually, as Boon's chase scene over rooftops and through alleys appears to span days, if not weeks, as it is intercut with the siege. It's all pretty stock stuff, a lovable rogue whom destiny grants great power, and then becomes a hero, with a princess in the offing. There are some fresh touches though, like the talking monkey mentor he gains, and the Russian cannonmaker. All in all, not bad, but not great.

Rating:
Summary: Works best as a collection
Review: Surprisingly, I didn't like the first issue of "Way of the Rat" the first time I read it. Oh, it was a passable action-fantasy, but it didn't engage me enough to justify spending three bucks a month for the comic book. Still, I kept hearing people say how good it was, and I started to wonder if I'd missed something, so when this collection of the first six issues was published, I decided to give it another try.

I'm glad I did.

"Way of the Rat" is a fast-paced martial arts action flick on paper. Our hero is a thief who happens upon a pair of mystic artifacts -- a scroll and a ring, the latter of which transforms him into a fighting master whenever he lifts a staff. With the help of a spiritual guide in the form of a talking monkey, the "Jade Rat" learns he has a much greater destiny than that of a criminal and embarks upon a quest to become a hero.

Reading this collection, I realized quickly why I didn't care for it in single-issue form. It's fast paced. SO fast-paced, in fact, that in that first issue I never got a chance to feel for or care about any of the characters. Reading six chapters in one go cured me of that. "Way of the Rat" is going to join CrossGen's "Mystic" as a comic book I prefer to get in trade paperbacks instead of magazine form.

Rating:
Summary: nice
Review: this comic is pretty much a martial arts comics, which few exsist today that are made ouitside of asia, but it is real fun, the story is of Boon, who stumble upon a ring that makes him a martial arts master in a certain field of combat, but more of these rings exsist, and there is pretty nice fight when the owner of the ring of baldes faces down boon. Complete with a talking monkey, war, and touch of humor, i highly suggest Way of The Rat for anyone whose likes martial arts movies of just good solid comics