By Justin McCarty
From Victor Santos and Dark Horse comes a detective noir set in feudal Japan. This story has everything you need for good noir. A hard-boiled detective, a femme fatale, lies, and government corruption. Santos’ first part to Rashomon was previously published only in Spain, here we have both parts published by Dark Horse. Part one is a straight murder mystery. The second part is a murder mystery but backdropped by, and part of, the forty-seven ronin story.
Part one opens with the mystery of a dead samurai found outside of Rashomon. A samurai and his sultry wife have been traveling and come upon another traveler, a thief. Filled with lust the thief tricks the samurai in order to rape his wife. Detective Heigo has to ascertain the truth using his intuition and skill, and even a little help from Japanese magic. Detective Heigo must navigate the lies and biases that obscure the truth.
Part two gives us an account of Heigo’s investigation of the murder -- the seppuku -- of a government agent which led to the events of the story of the forty-seven ronin. Heigo’s investigation forces him to question the strict social rules that everyone in Japan must live by, it calls into question Heigo’s own moral code.
Victor tells his stories using visceral graphic imagery. His non-naturalistic style and contrasting blacks, whites, and stark reds all make this a visually interesting read. Victor’s style immediately calls to mind Frank Miller’s Sin City. Entire double page spreads come and go with no text, allowing the artwork alone to tell the story. A favorite of mine is an all-out brawl that goes on for several pages. Every page in the book uses the visual elements of noir to illustrate the themes of truth, honor, and loyalty.
The layouts are non-traditional. Sometimes it seems as though Santos wants to avoid using panels and borders altogether, other pages are laid out with precision, using panels to single out just an expression or an object. Sometimes I found a disconnect in the layouts, the natural tendency to relate panels that sit next to each other made me feel the need to reread at times, there would be an action but the next panel would be unrelated and the result would not come for another couple of panels. That said, I can’t say that took any points away from the book.
I’m always up for crime noir; mix in ninjas, samurais, and beautiful women and no wonder Akira made Yojimbo and his other classics that borrowed from the genre. Your Japanese period fiction isn’t complete without this book.
Score: 5/5
Rashomon - A Commissioner Heigo Kobayashi Case
Victor Santos
Dark Horse Comics