Samurai is the story of Asukai Shiro’s search for his lost love, Yoshiko. She is a distant relative of his Lord, and the fell in love with her while she was staying with him. But when the warlord Hsiao attacked, she was kidnapped. After Asukai almost rescued her from Hsiao, Yoshiko was sold to an Arab slave trader. Though she doesn’t even know he is still alive, Asukai follows her across the world, all the way to Paris.

Too often do we see the miasma of Samurai related nonsense that has circulated our over saturated culture. It is nice to see someone take those ideals of the solemn, honorable, unbeatable warrior, ideas of romance, and that classical Samurai culture clash and make a good comic book. That is just what writer Ron Marz has done. Here we have a solid, martial arts/romance story that isn’t heavily laden with cliché or the bizarre nonsense that infect the hearts of most Samurai writers, be they Japanese, American, or other. Take a good deep breath of that, cause it’s fresh, Katana-wielding story. Ahh. Along for the ride is Luke Ross, the artist, who along with Jason Keith did the cover which is a little silly, but still pretty cool. The art is not your standard comic art. It looks almost like it is done with pastels and has amazing shadowing and light effects.

Samurai #3 features that culture clash I spoke of earlier as Asukai finds himself in Paris. Along his travel he has picked up French somewhat, and can speak it fairly well. Resting on the steps of Notre Dame, he is confronted by angry townsfolk, whom, as you know, had nothing to do in the 1700’s but mob strangers and riot with torches and pitchforks. A man attempts to take Asukai’s stuff and gets a beating. Then who should appear but the three Musketeers. (I know it’s them because one of them looks exactly like Charley Sheen). After a fight, Asukai is arrested and thrown into the Bastille. There he meets a strange old man with a long name, but before Asukai can even settle in, he is hired by Don Miguel, Ambassador from Spain, to be his bodyguard. Soon after, Don Miguel reveals some sort of scheme involving Asukai, when he stumbles across the Arab trader and discovers that Yoshiko has been purchased by King Louis XIV. That’s right, the Sun King, ya know, the ladies man of kings. BUM BUM BUM!!!

-Fumanchu