<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Adaptation
Review: Having read the Chinese story several years ago, I was surprised and excited to find it in comic book form. This is a great story about heroism and Chinese culture. And the story is exciting: intrigue, subplots, deception, fighting, and a little love thrown in to balance it all out. The art is exceptional, my only complaint is the blatant un-feminine appearance of the female monks-they look just like the men, and it's confusing to people that aren't aware of the story.All in all, it's a great introduction to Chinese culture, and an exciting comic book for those that aren't that interested in it. For a true taste of Jin Yong's (n?e Louis Cha) writing make sure to check out John Minford's translation of "The Deer and the Cauldron" also here on Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Adaptation
Review: Having read the Chinese story several years ago, I was surprised and excited to find it in comic book form. This is a great story about heroism and Chinese culture. And the story is exciting: intrigue, subplots, deception, fighting, and a little love thrown in to balance it all out. The art is exceptional, my only complaint is the blatant un-feminine appearance of the female monks-they look just like the men, and it's confusing to people that aren't aware of the story. All in all, it's a great introduction to Chinese culture, and an exciting comic book for those that aren't that interested in it. For a true taste of Jin Yong's (née Louis Cha) writing make sure to check out John Minford's translation of "The Deer and the Cauldron" also here on Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: Ma Wing Shing's incredible illustrations with Cha's story!
Review: I have,so far, 4 volumes of this large comic book from Comics One, and if you are a fan of Swordfight stories you will really enjoy this. This is NOT KUNGFU, that you see in movies that are dubbed. I don't know if this story was originally told in serial form in daily newspapers in Hong Kong or not, but Louis Cha is a very popular author among Chinese readers. This is a swordfight story which is a totally different genre of storytelling. I guess the closest comparison would be to Stormriders (the movie and Comic with Cheng Ekin and Aaron Kwok, that was originally a comic illustrated and told by Ma Wing Shing. The next closest comparison would be to "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" the movie and comic book and story. Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre is beautifully illustrated and tells,in the first 4 volumes, the story of Wuji, a little boy born to parents from oposing warring clans. It is about his adventures, and how he is influenced by his Father's nobility/righteousness of character (a member of the Wu Tang clan specializing in internal skills) and his love for his mother "a sorceress of the evil sky clan". The first volume tells of how his father and mother meet and it is a dashing romantic story that hooks you and makes you feel you care and want to know more about how the improbable marriage of a beautiful "sorceress" to an idealistic chivalrous young man works out, and the magic and mystery surrounding the heaven sword. There is poetry when Louis Cha (who has written many stories)has the sorceress start falling in love with Wuji's future father when he challenges an enemy with internal skills calligraphy imprinted onto the side of a stonemountain. The second volume deals with their son meeting the consequences of his parents love for each other as they go back home, and face their relatives and clan members. The third volume starts with the adventures of Wuji, and the meeting of a number of people such as an evil healer and a number of different little girls that he ends up meeting again when he is grown up. Many styles of fighting/internal chi and weapons techniques are mentioned throughout, after all, this is a Swordfight comic, and I like every aspect of it. The illustrations are gorgeous, and it is not the wide-eyed comics that you may have seen. Unfortunately, the cover of the 1st volume doesn't really tell about the story, because the first volume is classic chinese romantic stuff with dashing fighting and display of a number of external/internal hard/soft styles of swordfighting. Heaven Sword is also about the intricate complexity of relationships surrounding the heaven sword and dragon sabre. I love it. I believe this will appeal more to mature readers than to those expecting the "kung fu" that they might have been exposed to.
<< 1 >>
| 
