Kabuki vol1: Circle of Blood

Kabuki by David Mack is probably my favorite comic series. This is unlike anything else in the market, so I will review each volume separately.

The first volume is in black and white, and it tells the beginning of Kabuki's tale. Kabuki is an agent of the Noh, a secret agency of the Japanese government whose job is to keep the balance between the criminal organizations and politicians. We are introduced to her current job and her history, in particular her spiritual relationship with her mother and her father.We go through flashbacks of her childhood, her training to become a Noh.

But there is also the epionage/crime story involving the General, his son Kai and Dove. All three are trying to eliminate each other in order to dominate the Japanese government. All three are also connected to Kabuki personally, and we find out how.

Mack's art is very well thought out, each page could be a single piece of art, but it is also part of the storytelling. It is not his fully developed illustration/collage etc.. style, but it fits the story at hand.

What I love about this book is that there are so many levels to the story, it is impossible to get it all in just one reading. There are many metaphores, and many hidden meaning behind those words and images. The afterword does an excellent job at trying to tackle a small fraction of these, but there are so many others that I haven't even a clue about at the moment, and I've read this many times already.


On the other hand, the straght forward story is as compelling as its metaphores, so even if you don't get all the references or clues, this is still a great story. A very personal story, with plenty of action and intrigue. This book has it all, I truly believe anyone would get something out of it. If you are a comic fan, you have to get this. If you are not a comic fan, you have to get this!!