Comics / Manga

PeaceMaker Kurogane: Volume 1

By Leroy Douresseaux
September 6, 2006 - 13:56

 

A bloody revolution roiled in late feudal Japan, and the imperial city of Kyoto turned to an elite cadre of samurai swordsmen for protection – the Shensengumi.  One of the newest members of this sword-wielding posse is a teenage boy named Tetsunosuke Ichimura, page to Shensengumi Vice Commander Hijikata.  Tetsunosuke has much intrigue in his life, being that a rebel leader killed his father, but he gets more in the form of Ryoma Sakamoto, the self-styled Peacemaker.  This “Peacemaker” wants to bring the Shensengumi and Tetsunosuke, in particular, into his intrigue.  Meanwhile, another page and an acquaintance of Tetsunosuke, a peculiar boy named Suzu Kitamura, commits a shocking act of murder that will have repercussions in Tetsunosuke’s life.

 

PeaceMaker Kurogane, Volume 1 is marked by eclectic art, intriguing characters, and a mess of a story.  Sometimes, the art of manga-ka Nanae Chrono looks like what we think of as typical anime – action lines and characters with big eyes.  Other times, the art is reminiscent of American comic book illustrators that Michael Golden influenced, such as Jason Pearson and Joe Maduriera.  There are plenty of intriguing characters, including the gun-toting Peacemaker and the slinky Suzu who is something of a male femme fatale.

 

On the other hand, this first volume’s narrative is an occasionally incoherent mess that introduces too many characters, has too much clandestine intrigue, and a labyrinth of sub-plots.  The final sequence in volume one does offer hope for future volumes.

 

5 of 10

 

Last Updated: January 17, 2025 - 08:20