Samurai Jack #9 Review

With all the comics at your local shop should anyone bother with this? Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

The Samurai Jack saga continues at IDW! How can our time-traveling samurai defeat a foe that controls the forces of gravity? Get ready for a comic-reading experience like no other in this dizzying battle-tastic issue!

When it comes to the world of Cartoon Cartoons there were a few properties back in the day that simply struck my fancy. This was one of ’em and I’m proud to say that this creative team once again spins a yarn that discerning fans can absolutely be proud of. In short: it’s worth your attention.

Jim Zub dials back the script in this outing, as action minus inner dialogue takes center stage. The tactic by the author is a slightly bold one considering that the previous release in this series was absolutely text-less. The gamble works well as this brisk read effortlessly emulates the shenanigans associated with the Cartoon Network show it seeks to continue. I have to say though that the closing line was simply priceless and I’m eager to peruse what the writer has in store for our nomadic Samurai Jack!

The star of the outing is no doubt the illustrations by Ethen Beavers. Every single moment is littered with just enough detail to catch the eye of the wayward follower.  Add in the dynamic colors by Josh Burcham along with the out of this world panel layout and there’s no doubt in my mind that this jaunt’s destined to be a crowd pleaser. If there’s a way to sum up the visual component for this particular comic book rendition: it’s crisp and clean.

Samurai Jack #9 may not be the cream of the crop when it comes to narrative depth, but it is an outing that does exactly what it sets out to do. It continues the legacy of its aged predecessor without hampering the forward momentum of the brand new stories this volume seeks to tell. In other words even with the downplayed text this issue comes recommended.