Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Orange, CA: Image Comics
Description
Finally back in hardcover after ten years! The very first KABUKI volume ever. The foundation of the KABUKI story. The origin. The very beginning of this critically acclaimed series. The HC readers are missing from their KABUKI hardcover collections. And the perfect book for brand-new Kabuki readers to begin with. The last time this volume was in hardcover was more than ten years ago, and it sold out quickly. Since then, readers have been searching for this VOL. 1 hardcover to complete their collections. This prestige hardcover delivers with a shopping 272 pages and
User reviews
LibraryThing member GingerbreadMan
I guess this is an attempt at creating a more introspective version of superhero (or, vigilante, really) comics. But instead of being lyrical and full of ambience, to me it just comes across as pretentious and conceited. Instead of being dense and focused, it comes across as repetitive and
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picturing a Kyoto populated by about eleven people. Utterly without humor and with gaps in the plot big enough to wield a katana in, Kabuki seems mostly to be about over-clever graphical solutions and any excuse to show off perfect female bodies in skimpy battle-wear in elaborate poses. This was puffing-air-out-of-the-nose-annoying, and my worst read of the year so far. Not terribly eager to continue this series, no - in case anyone was still wondering. Show Less
LibraryThing member caerulius
This book kicks ASS. With strong influences of Alice in Wonderland, Mack tells the story of Kabuki, a secret agent working for a shadow organization called the Noh in Japan, who comes face to face with her own dark past.
Kabuki's mother was an Ainu girl, shipped to a Japanese base to be a "comfort
Five well-deserved stars.
Kabuki's mother was an Ainu girl, shipped to a Japanese base to be a "comfort
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woman" during WWII, and though she escaped the horrors that many such women faced at that time, her story ends in a brutal tragedy and the birth of Kabuki, who trains from childhood to be a warrior-girl. There is an epic scope to this story that is both ambitious and wonderfully realized.Five well-deserved stars.
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LibraryThing member VioletBramble
In this first book in the series we learn about the origins of the Noh operative known as Kabuki. Kabukis mother Tsukiko (Moon Child) was from an Ainu farming family. She was one of the thousands of women taken by the Japanese military to be " comfort women" for the soldiers during WW II. She found
A great beginning to the series. The story and the art are amazing. The black and white graphics have multiple layers. I had to use a large magnifying glass to make sure I caught all the details. Macks repeated use of certain panels and their positioning with similar panels ( a technique he uses throughout the series) frames the story and adds depth. He uses numerous allusions to Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass throughout the story. "Alice" imagery is used -- decks of cards, cheshire cat smile. The story takes place during Japans rainy season so the majority of panels depict rain. Fitting, since Ukikos name means Girl of the Rain. The first line: The rainy season has begun.
Highly recommended 4.5/5 stars
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herself on an island base under the control of The General. The General commanded that the comfort women be used only to perform Kabuki plays. Tsukiko performed in a play about the ghost of a woman out for vengeance. There were no costumes so she wore the flag of the Imperial Navy as a gown. After the war the General plans to marry Tsukiko. His son, Ryuichi Kai, is enraged. The night before the wedding he attacks Tsukiko in the temple, leaving her for dead. She lingers in a coma and is later found to be pregnant. She dies in childbirth. The child is named Ukiko -Girl of the Rain - and raised by the General.When Kai becomes aware of Ukikos existence he attacks the girl, on her mothers grave, carving the kanji "Kabuki" onto her face. He believes she is dead. She actually dies for nine minutes and a death certificate is signed. The General takes advantage of the death certificate. He lets the world believe that she is dead. He grooms her as an operative in the Noh agency. The Noh is a secret government organization designed by the General to balance the scales of corruption between organized crime and the government. Ukiko is trained until her body is a living weapon. She receives a new face (mask) and the name Kabuki. In honor of her mother her costume uses the pattern of the flag of the Imperial Navy and her weapon is the farmers sickle. One night Kabuki disobeys orders and takes revenge - for herself and for her mother- against the directors of the Noh.A great beginning to the series. The story and the art are amazing. The black and white graphics have multiple layers. I had to use a large magnifying glass to make sure I caught all the details. Macks repeated use of certain panels and their positioning with similar panels ( a technique he uses throughout the series) frames the story and adds depth. He uses numerous allusions to Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass throughout the story. "Alice" imagery is used -- decks of cards, cheshire cat smile. The story takes place during Japans rainy season so the majority of panels depict rain. Fitting, since Ukikos name means Girl of the Rain. The first line: The rainy season has begun.
Highly recommended 4.5/5 stars
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LibraryThing member soniaandree
I have found this book to remind me of the 'gothic' comic, 'The Crow' by J.O. Barr, as the tone of both graphic novels and the plots are similar: the death of someone dear brings ideas of revenge towards the villain. But what I appreciate most with Kabuki, is that she is always conscious of her
Only her constant link to her mother is her leading line in the narrative, because revenge is her only motivation. I wonder what she will become, because she lived only for revenge, and her revenge has been achieved in this book. It's worth getting the rest of the books, just to know.
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power over her enemy, as she remembers her training in martial arts when she was young (the scene about the insects is really something I have never heard of before); she has a double persona and she uses it to get to the head of the organisation.Only her constant link to her mother is her leading line in the narrative, because revenge is her only motivation. I wonder what she will become, because she lived only for revenge, and her revenge has been achieved in this book. It's worth getting the rest of the books, just to know.
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LibraryThing member BrynDahlquis
I could not put it down. From the very first page I was taken in by the absolutely beautiful art and enthralling story. It's so easy to get caught up in. It feels like it should be really complicated, but it's actually pretty easy to follow. It's a surreal, mind-blowing ride that I already want to
It's just gorgeous.
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take again. And the story is so -good- that David Mack gets away with being very, very dramatic. In anything else it would seem a bit over the top, but it's just so -perfect- that it fits right in.It's just gorgeous.
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LibraryThing member clfisha
Set in a futuristic Japan, Kabuki is a girl with a dark tormented past who works for a shadowy government organisation as a role model and assassin. The blend of Japanese culture and history was new and interesting but the story didn't work for me. A tragedy where I don't care what happens is just
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boring, there was no unpredictability in the story to lessen that nor did the layered meanings add much interest. There was however the art, which I loved. The stylistic changes to suit the story, the layered imagery all made me want to turn the page and that's why this gets 3 stars not 2. I hear the later books are slower and more thoughtful (and in colour?) so having said all that I might try another one.. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
This was a decent graphic novel that reminded me a lot of the Kill Bill movies. The story basically looks at Japanese government and the yakuza. There is a secret organization that has a number of women assassins that work for them, one of these assassins is Kabuki. The story alternates between the
I enjoyed the scenes where Kabuki talks about her past and her thoughts. She is really the only character in this book you get to know at all and these scenes were a bit surreal as well as very engaging.
I didn’t enjoy the yakuza/government scenes as much because these involved the quick introduction of many many characters that honestly weren’t around long enough to care about.
The artwork is all black and white and has a very sci-fi noir vibe to it; lots of sleek lines and 80’s looking sci-fi costumes. Generally the artwork made the story easier to follow; although some of the action scenes got a bit confusing.
I appreciated the whole uber-violence as art and the commentary on the fine line between government and organized crime. However, it’s not something I found all that engaging and not the type of thing I would read again.
Overall a well done sci-fi uber-violent femme fatale type of graphic novel. There is some excellent artistry here and some interesting (if seen before) social commentary. It’s all well put together. I found the parts focusing on the government and organized crime to be a bit hard to follow at times (just too many characters that looked too similar) but really enjoyed the more ambiguous chapters where Kabuki comments on her past and present.
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yakuza/government scenes, the assassination scenes, and more intimate scenes where we learn about Kabuki’s past and how she ended up as she is now.I enjoyed the scenes where Kabuki talks about her past and her thoughts. She is really the only character in this book you get to know at all and these scenes were a bit surreal as well as very engaging.
I didn’t enjoy the yakuza/government scenes as much because these involved the quick introduction of many many characters that honestly weren’t around long enough to care about.
The artwork is all black and white and has a very sci-fi noir vibe to it; lots of sleek lines and 80’s looking sci-fi costumes. Generally the artwork made the story easier to follow; although some of the action scenes got a bit confusing.
I appreciated the whole uber-violence as art and the commentary on the fine line between government and organized crime. However, it’s not something I found all that engaging and not the type of thing I would read again.
Overall a well done sci-fi uber-violent femme fatale type of graphic novel. There is some excellent artistry here and some interesting (if seen before) social commentary. It’s all well put together. I found the parts focusing on the government and organized crime to be a bit hard to follow at times (just too many characters that looked too similar) but really enjoyed the more ambiguous chapters where Kabuki comments on her past and present.
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LibraryThing member bookbrig
I'm clearly in the minority in not liking this book, but it just left me cold. The art was quite good, but it's at heart a story about violence toward women as an act of aggression against a specific man. I just didn't enjoy reading about all of the awful things done to the women of the story
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simply because the man hurting them was mad at another man. Not my cup of tea. Show Less
LibraryThing member quantum.alex
Too tropey: too tally for a graphic novel. DNF'd. Manga is better.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
272 p.; 6.6 inches
ISBN
1887279806 / 9781887279802