Kabuki: The Alchemy

So, Greg at Just Imagine recently started posting about comics, and it got me jonesing for another title to read. I’m not a big comic reader. No fan of superheroes and the like, I was never more than marginally interested in them as a kid. They just seemed so... implausible.

Please note that this is not a judgement. I enjoy plenty of implausible things. This one just didn’t do the trick for me. In college, I stumbled across ARAK: Son of Thunder, and followed it until it ended. It was interesting, but I really didn’t know enough european history to fully understand all the references. And the art was… eh – not so great. But, it was fun looking through the racks at the store, and picking up a few issues. It started a trend for me.

Once in a while, every year or two, I hit a comic store, looking for something to catch me eye. Sometimes it'll be a long-defunct title (Aristocratic Time-Travelling Thieves). Sometimes it'll be a locally produced title (SCUD: The disposable assassin). Lately, it's been titles with gorgeous art, like ClockMaker and now, Kabuki: The Alchemy.

When Greg got me thinking comics again, I decided to stop in at a store. I found Kabuki:The Alchemy, by David Mack. The art work is totally focking gorgeous, a mix of styles and media, and just packed full of interesting things. Plus, there's a depth to the story line, focussing a lot on internal issues.

This is volume 7 of the Kabuki comics, so I once again find myself in a position of not really understanding 100% of the comic. But the title seems geared to being enjoyed by someone who hasn't read all of the previous titles. So I'm on-board for the time being. And tht's another nice thing about this title. It isn't set up to be endless. There's a story to be told, and when that story ends, so does the title. Feels like less of a committment. I like that. But then, I'm the guy that aches for summer, just so that he won't have to keep up with the time committment for his favorite TV show. Entertainment committment doesn't come easy to me.

That being said, a new issue of Kabuki: The Alchemy should be out within the month. I'd better set aside some time to run down to the comic book store!