Writing: I'm not really sure what to make of this book. On the surface its kind of a Terminator 2 type book except instead of having a futuristic robot as a boys friend, the boy has an acient warrior. The action is very well done but I'm kind of torn on the emotions (or lack there of) of the characters.
Let me list the issues that I see, but keep in mind that I actually did kind of like the book. First, the boy sees his dad hand cut off and this doesn't faze him (yes I know, he doesn't like his dad but c'mon). Second, the boy and his new "buddy" hop on a train and head for the city, of course, like most trains, there happens to be a bunch of nijas hanging out on the roof. And lastly, the boy and his samuri, hitchhike and get picked up by a female driving around by herself. (yeah, I can see that) I'm not sure how many, if any, of these were supposed to be laughed at but with a title like Honor of the Damned, I'm thinking not many.
Artwork: I really enjoyed the artwork. BTW, but extremely detailed, I think this is one of the real strengths of the book.
Overall: 3 stars. As I mentioned earlier, maybe I didn't have the right mindset for this book, but to much of it seemed like to much of a stretch. (is that possible for a book about a samuri taking orders from a kid?) I thought the artwork lifted the story some though.
Ron Miller
Writing: This story really drew me in. While some parts of the story reminded me a little bit of the relationship between John Connor and the Terminator in T2, it was believable in its own right.
Artwork: I found some of the fight scene on the train to be hard to follow. Other than that, I liked the artwork.
Overall: 4 stars. What fourth grader would not love to have their own seemingly unbeatable undead samurai protector? This story reaches out to the picked-on fourth grader in us all.
Robert Weiman
Writing: This was a good story. There was some subtle humor as well as a whole lot of butt kicking. I thought the main character was an interesting study as well as his young master. The backstory about the boys history I found to be very well done and he was glib enough about the telling of it not to make it overly sentimental. This was definately a good read.
Artwork: The muted greysacle was a nice addition to this story. I thought the images were well defined but the lack of color made the carnage a bit less graphic. With this being said the violence still came through in the panels thanks to the definition of the characters and action.
Overall: 4 stars. I want to see where this story goes. There was a lot going on here and the ass kicking was really a rush.
Stefan Haas