Rating: 
Summary: a wonderful suprise
Review: I, like many others, picked up this graphic novel due to Mack's work on Daredevil. Mack's combination of intensive emotional study with abstract art was a shock to my system. No other graphic novel series could realistically be compared to this. The art is truly an aquired taste, and I (obviously) enjoyed the hell out of it. What really stands out, however, is Macks ridicuously well-crafted story. One could nit pick here and there about certain points, but, for me, the character of Kabuki is perhaps one of the best in the history of comic books. Most characters are kept at an arm's length in terms of comic book characters. Not many writers are willing to delve into the depths of introspection and emotional weakness that Mack has in this story. I hope that this does not come off as a "this is the greatest thing ever...KABUKI RULES!!" review, becasue there are things wrong with it. I dare not give them away for fear of ruining the storyline, but know that the good far outweighs the bad. It is on the level of Gaiman, Moore, and Miller in my mind, and I would really suggest it to anyone that likes the more character rich works of those writers. Warning: Do not buy this if you are expecting Manga. This is a work of fiction done by an American. The art is American, and the introspective story is that of an outsider looking in. My final suggestion is that you read it slowly. The art is not something that the reader should glance at while blazing through the story. Take your time with and study the many things to enjoy on each page. It's easily one of the most fullfilling stories I have read and suits its reputation as "the best graphic novel that no one has read".
Rating: 
Summary: beautiful
Review: its a beautiful book. The art work is a combination of the american comic book style with japanese traditional art. none of the manga crap. It in some places is hard to follow, but similar it makes beautiful references to childrens classics, and gorgeous metaphors.
Rating:
Summary: beautiful
Review: its a beautiful book. The art work is a combination of the american comic book style with japanese traditional art. none of the manga crap. It in some places is hard to follow, but similar it makes beautiful references to childrens classics, and gorgeous metaphors.
Rating:
Summary: Great action comic
Review: Kabuki is an outstanding story. The drawing, especially the figure drawing is great. The story - super-spy-babe on a mission of vengeance - has a used look, but Mack adds enough detail to keep it from looking used up. Best, Mack has put some real knowledge of Japanese culture and history into the story. It's not all pleasant history, but not all history is pleasant.The artwork is all black and white. I like that, when it's used well, and Mack uses it to the fullest. The drawing styles are varied and expressive. My only complaint is that some of the white-on-black lettering eroded during reproduction. To print well using inexpensive paper and process, the white-on-black should have had a heavier line weight. Ink naturally bleeds into the white areas; bleeding in from both sides of the lettering's stroke made some of the text hard to read. I almost gave this five stars. Mack has continued the Kabuki series, though, and it gets better as it goes along. He keeps raising the bar for comic excellence - this doesn't quite measure up to the later books in the series, either for art or for story. His later work beats just about every other comic out there, including this earlier work. It's good, though, and a good intro to the later books.
Rating: 
Summary: Americanised tripe
Review: Kabuki is the biggest load of Americanised tripe I have ever encountered. The author obviously has no real knowledge of Japan, just a visitor (if that!). It is a complex and engaging story, I just wish it had been set in New York or LA. Sadly Mack set it in Japan, mixed it up with a load of fetishistic garbage combined with an outsider's view of what Japanese culture and society is. I am not even sure that he has been to Japan, Just purchased a Lonely Planet guide to give it legitimacy. It is nothing more than a gangster tale set in exotic Japan with ludicrous American dialogue placed on Japanese lips. A bit like the old Godzilla films, bad dubbing guaranteed. How sad that someone can write such culturally insensitive garbage and get nominated for awards. The ignorant feeding the ignorant. David Mack should stick to writing tales set in America, at least they would be legitimate. Go criticize your own culture before attacking a culture you have no knowledge of. J O'bannon did it better with The Crow and did not have to set his tale in an "exotic location". I am sure Mack will be writing trashy Middle Eastern stories next with the same cultural sensitivity. Yes it would have been a brilliant tale had it not been set in Japan with lots of incorrect pseudo cultural references wrapped in ignorance. So will you enjoy this tale? If you have never been to Japan and have no knowledge of this land, then yes you will (especially if you are American and want a silly tale set in exotic lands, where "them foreigners" speak like us). If you have lived and/or have some connection with Japan you will probably find it as offensive as I did. Finally much of the white on black text was quite unreadable, badly printed as well. White text on a black background is a typographers nightmare but an effort could have been made with the printing of this volume (and this was the 3rd printing!)
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