IDW Publishing 2019
By Mateus Santolouco
Colour Assists by Marcelo Costa
Lettered by Shawn Lee
The Story So Far….
Oroku Saki’s journey through the underworld becomes more terrifying and personal as those close to him in the past return to torment him. Takeshi Tatsuo, the original vessel of the Dragon, seeks to complete his ascension.
While I have never been a true fan of the franchise I have been known to dabble in it when someone I know is working on it. This however was one that I thought okay, it’s a first issue and this is what I do, so lets see what this is about. Mateus from the start drew me into this with some of the most sensational writing and this intrusive in-depth look into Oroku’s mind, body and soul. I have been eagerly looking forward to each issue hitting the stands because every single time I read a chapter I am drawn into this world in a way that seems supernatural, like a spell cast upon me. It is mesmerising, captivating and so brutally honest in it’s depiction that I cannot help but admire the work being done.
I love the way that this story is being told. The way that this is structured so that we see the revelations and the action as everything comes to a head is sensational. There isn’t a moment in the storytelling where you think, there’s too much story going on. No instead what we feel is the exact opposite in that we now want more story to unfold. The dichotomy between Oroku and Takeshi’s personalities and being the opposite sides of the same coin is exactly what we think of when the idea of inner conflict between ego and id comes into play. Despite the circumstances this is what we all go through at some point in time as we try to figure out who we want to be and how to become that person. This makes the story so relate-able to and so easy to connect with.
God these interiors are gorgeous. The linework that we see and how so much delicate work is put into creating this attention to detail which only enhanced with this level of colour work added continues to impress me to no end. The creativity and imagination on display is stunning and to see the characters faces and facial expressions so that we actually feel their anguish and pain is remarkable. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show off a stupendous eye for storytelling. How the composition of the panels are being utilised to their fullest, even when it’s the colour of this realm’s sky is beautifully done. The colours oh my stars and garters they just set the tone, mood and feel of this story perfectly. The way light sources are utilised to create the shading, the colour gradation and how metal shines so brightly just takes your breath away.
The characterisation that we are treated to here goes above and beyond anything we might have thought we’d have a right to seeing. The desire for power and the greed that comes with it’s possession to the love for Yoshi that we see in these pages is actually remarkably well done. The full range of feelings and emotions that a person can feel is seen throughout the book. Even when we see what appears to be resignation which turns into unbridled fury the constant swirl of emotions make the story much more thrilling to see.
Sometimes you just happen across a book that captures your heart, mind and soul through the readers’ imagination so that it becomes irresistible. Mateus did that to me in this instance and if you gave him half a chance I am pretty sure it would do that to you on some level. He has also made a fan for life with this story and I won’t miss anything he feels like doing in the future. This is how I feel and I’d like to imagine what he could for you.