Legend of the
Shadow Clan #1
Review
A new title from Aspen Comics, Legend of the Shadow Clan hit the ground running and packs a good punch. Its a nice departure from my regular repertoire of comic reading and brings a nice modernization to the contemporary 'ninja/assassin for hire' origination.
The issue opens like a movie; introducing viewers to the mysterious yet to be fully revealed plot aboard a yacht turned laboratory. This scenario is accompanied by some awesome ninja gunplay and a narrated view into the lineage and history of (presumably) the Shadow Clan. The narration is rich and interesting, it keeps pace with the scene that unfolds.
But as the scene and location shifts to an urban school yard, so does the telling of the tale. Now following underachiever, Brayden Himura the story takes a slower pace. We watch as he reveals some surprising athletic talents and sigh and shake our heads as he deals with the timeless family issues at the dinner table. All accompanied by third person narration (through captions). This issue is heavily narrated, but it doesn't become an issue until the next scene.
As things begin to pick back up, there is an alarming and mildly predictable happening at the software company where Brayden's father works. The action kicks in, but it fights with the narration. The play by play from the captions actually slows down the otherwise, frantic and swift encounter. It cheapens it somewhat and leaves you with less of an impact than it could have. But in the end it still closes with a great set up for issue #2.
3 out of 5
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