Customer Reviews

Kabuki Volume 1: Circle Of Blood: Circle of Blood v. 1

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If, like me, the only comics you'd read before picking this up consisted of the standard superhero stuff exemplified by Marvel and DC, you'll find Circle of Blood a remarkable breath of fresh air. The style of the book is so wonderfully different, blending hi-octane action and strong character development in a twisted futuristic setting with some simply stunning artwork. Circle of Blood will get you hooked on Kabuki, and is a great introduction to the series as later books tend to be slower-paced, more introspective, and all round weirder. They're all excellent incidentally, but readers coming from traditional superhero stuff will find this the most accessible.

Circle of Blood is one of those rare moments in the world of comics. Blink and you will miss it, though I hope you don't. David Mack's artwork and writing is a joy to behold, as he takes us into the dark world of the Noh Agency and Kabuki's struggle to understand who she is.Warning that it is a black and white comic, I feel that this adds to the atmosphere. After you read this, you will be hooked, seriously.

Love it, long time reader when it was just paper comics, so good to have the complete volume. So immersive

I discoverd David Mack, probably like a lot of people, through the work he did for Marvel (namely Daredevil, Echo, Alias etc) and found it to be extraordinary. Then I looked up his other work. Its mesmerizing. Unlike anything else, and I do mean that quite literally.
The plot itself can be summarized easily: Set in an alternate, near-future Japan, Kabuki, the titular character, is an assassin and television law-enforcement persona of a powerful conglomerate called The Noh. Alongside seven other colourful and deadly agents she polices the Japanese underworld to maintain the delicate balance of order. Due to personal reasons however, Kabuki rebels against her masters.
That, is a very compressed version of this incredible book. Upon reading, I was awestruck by the elegance and sophistication of Mack's writing and how despite being a tale of extreme violence (not to mention scantily-clad women, the story was incredibly tasteful. The artwork is lavish and beutifully drawn, with superb inking that conveys the philosophical and introspective concepts that are the main structure of the narrative. This is one very moving, tangeble and impeccably well-researched graphic novel (it is after all a story of a Japanese woman written by an American man).
Circle of Blood is the first volume in the Kabuki series (there are seven in total) and is arguably the most action packed, the dramatic events of this book pave the way for the slow-boiling and thoughful sequences of the others. Quite notably, from volume 2 onwards, Mack's drawing style changes into a multi-textured cacophany of fine art -ranging from stunning water colour portraits to intensely detailed collages of words; with all offering diffrent ways of approaching the story. That said, Circle of Blood could be called the most conventional of the series, but this in no way hinders it.
Overall, I have been thoroughly recommending this book to every comic reader I know and I encorage others here to pick it up, whether you're a fan of Japanese culture, beautiful women with prosphetic limbs or an avid thinker, this is by far one of the most sophisticated graphic novels you may ever encounter.

As for the content, relating to both story and artwork, I whole heartedly agree with the other reviewers.
But why on earth is pointing out a serious defect on the two copies I recieved (the cover falling off) a valid reason for removing my previous comments.