Samurai Jack: Lost Worlds #1 (Family Comic Friday)

That futuristic nobleman from feudal Japan is back! I’m talking about Cartoon Network and Adult Swim’s Samurai Jack. The fan favorite returns in an all-new miniseries from IDW Publishing in this week’s Family Comic Friday.

Samurai Jack: Lost Worlds #1Written by Paul Allor
Art by Adam Bryce Thomas
Published by IDW Publishing
Retail: $3.99

Samurai Jack is one of those modern cartoons that has become an instant classic. It’s the story of an aristocratic warrior from ancient Japan who is transported into a far off future full of anthropomorphic animals, robots and demons.

Lost Worlds takes place presumably sometime after the events of season 5. If that is the case, Jack had just lost the love of his life and seemed ready to die when at the last second a beautiful insect landed on his shoulder and inspired the warrior to seek the beauty in life. It’s been 2 years since that finale. So things should be just peachy for Samurai Jack, right?

Instead of living in peace and tranquility, Jack has exiled himself atop a mountain overlooking the village he’s sworn to protect. In the village below, the people live their lives in reflection of the standards set by their missing leader. All seems in perfect harmony in the village when suddenly Jack returns. But his message of peace and honor doesn’t quite sit well with one of the villagers- Samurai Jack!

Which is the real Jack? When all is finished, the true swordsman will find that his people have lost their way in his absence. In order to save the souls of the villagers, Jack will need to find himself. Thus, for the rest of this 4-issue miniseries, our hero will traverse the distant neighboring lands in search of the answers and inner peace and possibly redemption.

The artwork of Adam Bryce Thomas alone is worth the $3.99 price tag. Samurai Jack was known for its innovative art style which paid homage to the kung-fu movies of the 1970s. The Sonic The Hedgehog artist does a stupendous job capturing the intensity of the wide-screen action scenes that were a Samurai Jack animation staple.

I thought that Paul Allor (Clue) did a great job on just about every aspect of this opening chapter. I only wish that Allor (or IDW editors) would have confirmed in some way that this series does indeed takes place after season 5. I really think it does. But, I would hate to say that this is the case and find out that this is a fill-in between the events of season 4 and 5. Maybe future issues will address this.

Samurai Jack is an evolving property. It seems to age along with the fans. When the TV series first debuted, the show was considered age appropriate for those 10 and up. When Samurai Jack returned in 2017, it’s rating jumped up to TV-14. That’s mostly because the show then started airing on Adult Swim.

Marvel and DC are guilty of doing the same sort of thing. For example, both will release reprints from the 60s-90s; a time when comics weren’t rated but otherwise approved by the Comics Code Authority. However, now in 2019, the publishers will rate the decades old material as being for ages 12 and up.

This sort of thing makes it hard for parents to know if something if truly age appropriate for their child. One might think that if Marvel rates reprints of 1980s all-ages Star Wars comics as for readers aged 14 and up, then maybe the publisher is wrong about Cosmic Ghost Rider being for only mature readers too. Then when the parent buys CGR for their kid, the adult is shocked to see numerous killings and accounts of adult language and mature themes.
So where does this comic book rank?

Based on my viewing of Samurai Jack back when it first aired, as well as that slightly more mature fifth season, I would say that those 10 and up should have no problems reading Lost Worlds. There is a very intense battle scene between Samurai Jack’s both real and impostor. But in terms of language and adult themes, this book is clean.

There are a few musings between Jack and other characters which get philosophical. Those concepts might go over the head of a reader younger than 10. But if the young reader in your life can understand what the sensei in Kung-Fu Panda or Splinter from TMNT both teach their pupils, they’ll be okay with this book.

It’s great to Samurai Jack back. I just hope that this might inspire Adult Swim to do a season 6. But in order for this to happen, fans both young and old are going to have to purchase this book!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. 

Samurai Jack: Lost Worlds #1 debuted in print and digital platforms on May 8th, 2019.

Clue #6

The murderers are finally revealed!

No-way am I going to tell you who did what. Uh-uh!!! No spoilers here!

However, I will say that this issue is dynamic in two very distinct ways. For one, certain lines in the first 5 pages of the book pays great homage to both the classic board game and the 1980s live-action film version on which this miniseries was based. Secondly, that ending! WOW! It's a fourth-wall busting scene that I didn't think was possible in comics!

If you want to experience it, your just gonna have to wait until this Wednesday (November 22nd) when it debuts in store.

A masterful ending to a very fun series by Paul Allor and Nelson Daniel. Yes, I know I harp on it, but still no praise to whomever was behind the coloring of this book. That person or persons was the real star of this production team.

If you love mysteries that are unpredictable and slightly interactive, then Clue is the book you've been looking for. Not all of the motives may have made sense to me. I blame a little on the fact, that I have probably forgotten some key elements over the past 3 months that this series has been gradually released. 

I highly recommend reading all 6-issues consecutively for optimal enjoyment.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Clue #5

With only one issue before the finale, this chapter reveals but a sliver of the motives behind the murders of Mr. Boddy and several other characters. 

Not exactly the most tongue-in-cheek episode of the series. But there's several shocking twists and turns that I did not see coming. 

Another great entry by Paul Allor and Nelson Daniel. Who will finally be revealed as the murderer is anybody's game. But with a dwindling cast, the list of culprits runs awfully thin. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Clue #2

Story by Paul Allor. Art by Nelson Daniel. Published by IDW.

  The bodies continue to stack up at Boddy Manor. The second issue of Clue: the Comic Book, based on the classic Parker Bros board game, is filled with clues and motives. But what’s missing is the dark humor of the first issue.

   Upton the Butler is still your host through this dinner theatre mystery. Yet, his witty barbs about the players is suddenly gone. The butler has suddenly morphed from being a bit cheeky to acting darn near morbid. It’s like he’s the host of a classic horror anthology now. It seriously changes the tone of this miniseries.

    Another thing missing are the bonus pages. In Clue #1, there were 3 additional pages of clues that were randomly inserted into issues. I’m not sure if readers complained about having to buy variants for the extra material. Maybe IDW planned it this way. I only know that the bonus clue pages are not in this issue. The lone thing different between the variants for the second issue are the covers.

     The black comedy and additional hints have disappeared but the quality of the overall book remains. Writer Paul Allor has woven a masterful web of intrigue that only promises to get better in issue 3. I’m composing my own list of suspects and Upton assures readers that some very important details are forthcoming very soon.

   Nelson Daniel’s art is also very good too! But as with the last issue, whomever is coloring this title is doing a killer job. Notice the color schemes of the variant covers below. Come on IDW! Give this genius colorist their due credit!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Review originally published July 19, 2017 on outrightgeekery.com.

Clue #1

How To Play…

Clue- The Classic Whodunit board game from Parker Brothers is now a comic book. From the guys at IDW Publishing, readers are given the task to solve the murder of Mr. Boddy. Over the course of five issues, clues will be discovered and motives revealed. Is it pharmaceutical magnate Mr. Green in the kitchen with the knife? Was it power hungry Senator White with the revolver in the billiard room?

The first issue of Clue: the Comic Book was rather fun. Upton the Butler is your host to Boddy Manor. The servant breaks the fourth wall, cluing readers in on suspects and alerts you to new developments. Even writer Paul Allor (G.I. Joe) gets in on the fun conversing back-and-forth with Upton about the crime at hand. It’s very reminiscent of the fun stuff Lee and Kirby would do at Marvel back in the Silver Age.

A Colorful Assortment

The artwork by Tank Girl’s Nelson Daniel was okay. None of the characters look like they do from the classic board game. With the addition of modern personas like Dr. Orchid from more recent Clue editions, it’s the colorist who matters most in this comic. Without him, you wouldn’t know Miss Scarlet from Professor Plum. Oddly enough, IDW doesn’t give a listing for who colors the book.

Multiple Chances to Solve the Game

This is actually a comic that you’ll want to buy multiple copies of. Each book has an extra page of clues randomly. There are 3 extra pages per issue to be found, so if you really want to master the game, you’ll need to buy 3 issues! Though maybe IDW should follow Marvel’s lead and insert a code in which you can activate the addition pages digitally.

I love playing Clue. It’s one of the reasons I choose to review this book. It’s also true that I am a big fan of the 1980s live-action film version of the game. There’s several elements of humor and game-play found in both the comic and the movie. I just wish that Allor and Daniel would’ve made the character of Upton to look more like Tim Curry’s Wadworth.

Regardless, Clue takes comics and games to a new level of interactive comics. This is an enjoyable summer comic. But I think it’s best when scanned during a dark and stormy night.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.