Created & Written by Kelly Bender
Created & Illustrated by Eda Kunsis
Inked by Ivan Miranda
Coloured by Brenton Mathena
Lettered by Micah Myers
This is a great example of why I love indie creators and the work that they do. Centering on the Yakuza in Japan gives us a great look at a culture we don’t normally get to see. We open up here with a bit of background information about the Yakuza how they are seen and the reality of someone who works for them as an enforcer. Kiros Sato is a Yakuza enforcer and he’s good at what he does he’s also a great storyteller in his own right as we walks us through this story.
Kelly does an incredible job here with the storytelling and how he’s structured the story. We get a really nice look at our main character, his personality and his outlook on life. Plus we get to see how the inner workings of his job go well according to Kelly, after all we can’t be one hundred percent sure now can we? This is a nice representation of a secret shadowy crime organisation and it really does capture the imagination vividly.
I’m really impressed with the interiors here! The buildings that we see in the city landscape are wonderfully done and the perspective they give us is fantastic. The use of page layouts here are also great to see as they help with the flow of the story. The use of faces and facial expressions do nice work in continuing the characters characterisation. The use of backgrounds are spectacularly done and provide that extra look at this world. I like that this has an American style Manga look to it as it nicely blends the two worlds.
So what story does Kiros have for us? It’s a bit complicated but it’s fairly reminiscent of what a good story should have. It’s got him in a predicament where his conscience says one thing and his work code another and the resulting consequences of his actions are going to be something he has to live with. I’m liking the structure of the story, how it unfolds for us and the whole idea, see premise, behind what we see. I can honestly say this isn’t something you find everyday and it’s unique point of view makes it that much more interesting and thrilling.
Now this is still in the kickstarter stage and hasn’t found a publisher yet. So if this at all sounds intriguing, and it should, then head on over to the kickstarter page and give em a helping hand with this series. Also give shoutouts to publishers let em know you want to see this on stands. It’s got a great lead character, a unique point of view and promises to become something of an action/thriller that would make James Bond or Jason Bourne jealous!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kellybender/yakuza-893-comicbook?ref=home_social