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Samurai Jack, Vol. 3: Quest for the Broken Blade by Ethen Beavers, Suriano, Andy Suriano, Jim Zub
geekwayne's review
4.0
'Samurai Jack Volume 3: Quest For The Broken Blade' is a fun read. I'm not as familiar with the tv show as I should be. I need to fix that if these books are any indication. I read volume 1 in this series, but missed volume 2. Fortunately, volume 3 doesn't make me feel like I was lost.
The book starts with Jack visiting Soule the Seer, and battling his giant scorpions. After being invited on a quest (and offered some scorpion jerky), Jack finds himself carrying the elder Soule on his back. Through a series of events, Jack's sword is broken. This causes bad guy Aku to go into fits of glee as he finds that he may be able to finally defeat Jack. Jack goes on the run with a price on his head and seemingly no place to hide. Along the way, he does some soul searching and grieving about losing this fabulous sword, which is about the only thing capable of defeating Aku. Can Jack find the strength to not only survive, but to possibly defeat Aku for the final time?
Art by Andy Suriano and Ethen Beavers is a sort of sketchy style of art pen. It gives the motion a sort of animated feel, and is very close to what I know from the animated series. Colors by Josh Burcham pop off the page with a nice vividness, and Jim Zub's script tells a great story about loss and inner drive. I like this series, and now I really need to find that animated series.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
The book starts with Jack visiting Soule the Seer, and battling his giant scorpions. After being invited on a quest (and offered some scorpion jerky), Jack finds himself carrying the elder Soule on his back. Through a series of events, Jack's sword is broken. This causes bad guy Aku to go into fits of glee as he finds that he may be able to finally defeat Jack. Jack goes on the run with a price on his head and seemingly no place to hide. Along the way, he does some soul searching and grieving about losing this fabulous sword, which is about the only thing capable of defeating Aku. Can Jack find the strength to not only survive, but to possibly defeat Aku for the final time?
Art by Andy Suriano and Ethen Beavers is a sort of sketchy style of art pen. It gives the motion a sort of animated feel, and is very close to what I know from the animated series. Colors by Josh Burcham pop off the page with a nice vividness, and Jim Zub's script tells a great story about loss and inner drive. I like this series, and now I really need to find that animated series.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
ogreart's review
4.0
I liked the Samurai Jack TV show. It was fun, but always had a serious undertone to it that I could tune into. The main character is a tragic figure. Pulled from his own time into a twisted future by the evil magic of Aku. In this future, Aku is the supreme ruler. And only Samurai Jack wielding his magic sword stands against him.
In a failed effort to return to his own time, Jack’s sword is broken and the magic of it is gone. Aku feels this and alerts the world to be on the lookout for the “defenseless” samurai. Then Jack is in hiding, remembering his father and the story of how the sword was forged. Jack is a broken man. The sword he was entrusted with, one of the only things able to stand up against Aku, has been broken.
As he struggles through the world, he eventually meets Muninn, who we are expected to know is one of Odin’s ravens. He leads Jack to a place of judgment. It is to be determined whether or not he is to be entrusted with this blessed blade. It is pointed out to him that he was never tested; the sword was bequeathed to him.
I think this is my favorite part of the story as it goes to what I see as the heart of martial arts. It is not just being able to fight, it is knowing when to fight (or not)—why to fight (or not).
I haven’t followed the series up to this point; volume three was my first taste of Samurai Jack in graphic novel form. It does make me curious to go back to read the first two volumes and to keep an eye out for future stories. In addition to the fine story, the artwork left a surreal feeling to all that was happening. The world warped under Aku’s influence easy to see. I gotta give this one a strong recommendation and a suggestion to read it more than once in order to see some of the subtleties.
For more reviews check out mrbsbookshelf.blogspot.com
In a failed effort to return to his own time, Jack’s sword is broken and the magic of it is gone. Aku feels this and alerts the world to be on the lookout for the “defenseless” samurai. Then Jack is in hiding, remembering his father and the story of how the sword was forged. Jack is a broken man. The sword he was entrusted with, one of the only things able to stand up against Aku, has been broken.
As he struggles through the world, he eventually meets Muninn, who we are expected to know is one of Odin’s ravens. He leads Jack to a place of judgment. It is to be determined whether or not he is to be entrusted with this blessed blade. It is pointed out to him that he was never tested; the sword was bequeathed to him.
I think this is my favorite part of the story as it goes to what I see as the heart of martial arts. It is not just being able to fight, it is knowing when to fight (or not)—why to fight (or not).
I haven’t followed the series up to this point; volume three was my first taste of Samurai Jack in graphic novel form. It does make me curious to go back to read the first two volumes and to keep an eye out for future stories. In addition to the fine story, the artwork left a surreal feeling to all that was happening. The world warped under Aku’s influence easy to see. I gotta give this one a strong recommendation and a suggestion to read it more than once in order to see some of the subtleties.
For more reviews check out mrbsbookshelf.blogspot.com
caitcoy's review
4.0
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
SAMURAI JACK!
This is one of those TV shows that I grew up watching and still can't get enough of. I haven't actually read the previous two volumes in this series but Jim Zub and and Andy Suriano do a fantastic job of making it feel just like the show.
In Quest for the Broken Blade, Samurai Jack must find a way to repair his sword after a failed ritual causes it to lose its "soul." Without it, he stands no chance against Aku in the future and no way to get to his own time. And he must find a way to do this while still staying hidden from Aku and his minions.
The art style is simplistic but oh so perfect for the story, it honestly felt just like watching an episode of the show. If you were a fan of the series or just enjoy fun, beautiful martial arts stories, I would highly recommend it!
SAMURAI JACK!
This is one of those TV shows that I grew up watching and still can't get enough of. I haven't actually read the previous two volumes in this series but Jim Zub and and Andy Suriano do a fantastic job of making it feel just like the show.
In Quest for the Broken Blade, Samurai Jack must find a way to repair his sword after a failed ritual causes it to lose its "soul." Without it, he stands no chance against Aku in the future and no way to get to his own time. And he must find a way to do this while still staying hidden from Aku and his minions.
The art style is simplistic but oh so perfect for the story, it honestly felt just like watching an episode of the show. If you were a fan of the series or just enjoy fun, beautiful martial arts stories, I would highly recommend it!
daynpitseleh's review
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is an alright volume that captures that spirit of Samurai Jack but unfortunately isn't very exciting.
This is an alright volume that captures that spirit of Samurai Jack but unfortunately isn't very exciting.
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