Samurai #13

Samurai #13 Aircel, 1986, b&w.

2 Samurai #13 cover Art: Dale Keown
SYNOPSIS
It has been three months since the destruction of the Naganata. Velvet Black has left UN service and started a private organization called Splinters. They have moved from Toronto to Ottawa, the nation's capital. Toshiro is thought to have died but perhaps he is back to being a loner, appearing only when he feels the need. Or perhaps he is a ghost! Only one person knows and he is not telling...Splinter Headquarters, Ottawa: the gang celebrate Christmas. Homer farts. Near Byward Market Area: Miles Corkin takes Yue Long and Alex to a movie (Eddie Murphy & Tibet it must be THE GOLDEN CHILD). Miles once skied in Montreal. Alex wears a happy man smile face. A killer knifes Miles when Miles suggests walking through a short cut in an alley. The killer sings songs when he kills. He takes Yue with him. Miles dies saying, "CóChristmas, what a shitty time to die." At the funeral is Toshiro Kimura, secretly hidden. Homer consoles Simon who is crying about the loss of their family. Toshiro, trying to find out about Yue and the killer, hasn't time to fool with two men who won't give him the info, so he cuts off one of their arms and throws a star into the back of the other's head. He will not let the second man bleed to death if the man gives him the info. He does. Constable Vachon apprehends the killer who is beating a homeless man but Toshiro asks the cop to let the killer go to lead him to someone. The killer gets away and goes to Yue who is tied up. Homer goes to a trendy bar on Bank Street to ask Archie (who accidentally spits on a waitress) for help in getting the killer and finding Yue. The killer brings Yue to Mr. Sinclair, a high placed government official (we find out next issue) who runs both sides of the law, ready to use Yue in the white slavery ring. Toshiro beats the guys Sinclair has following the killer. One accidentally shoots another. Toshiro takes their plates.

Backup story: "Blizzard part 1"

Hotachi is looking for Marduc (isn't is Marduk?) in the remote mountain region of the Canadian Rockies. He is in a super tank mobile which is destroyed by gunners. Hotachi was out of it when it was blasted and survives a fall off a ledge after which he beats up the men who come to get him. He attacks men on a huge landwalker but two landwalkers get him and take him back to Marduc's huge inner mountain base. Marduc calls himself the creator of Hotachi, his father and wants to enlist Hotachi in his "holy quest". If he does not help him...Hotachi will die. Difficult to tell what is going on at times. It is a good idea to have other characters in the backup...who are linked to the main storyline. REVIEW
Issue 13 begins three months after the destruction of the Naganata. Velvet Black has left the service of the United Nations and has started a private organization called Splinter, headquartered in Ottawa. This is a small group comprised of her adherents from the Naganata, Simon and Professor Stringfellow, and some of Toshiro's old connections, including Homer and Archie Bodonie. They have also picked up three characters from the comic book DragonRing. These are Miles (a Homer Bentley equivalent) and Yué and Alex, a couple of boys who were Kohl Drake's sidekicks. All of these people (and Gennin, I suppose) think that Toshiro is dead. Actually he's just working alone, Lone Range style, for reasons that are never explained in any rational way. But to resume the plot: Miles takes Alex and Yué out to a movie and makes the mistake of taking a shortcut through an ally. There the trio runs afoul of a near-crazy drug addict with a butcher knife who fatally stabs Miles without the slightest provocation, then seizes Yué and runs off with him. Alex, incidentally, is supposed to have ESP powers, but they obviously weren't working that night! Anyway Yué is carried off and it is assumed that he has been stolen by "White Slavers". This is in fact the case, and Yué soon is facing the usual "fate worse than death". However Toshiro appears on the scene and begins to methodically butcher his way through the slave ring.

The art (including cover) is all by Dale Keown. None of the characters look even remotely like they do in the earlier issues. There are some very effective scenes of extreme violence, and some female characters are drawn in a notably sexy way.

	Samurai #13	Aircel, 1986, b&w.
2		Art: Dale Keown SYNOPSIS It has been three months since the destruction of the Naganata. Velvet Black has left UN service and started a private organization called Splinters. They have moved from Toronto to Ottawa, the nation's capital. Toshiro is thought to have died but perhaps he is back to being a loner, appearing only when he feels the need. Or perhaps he is a ghost! Only one person knows and he is not telling...Splinter Headquarters, Ottawa: the gang celebrate Christmas. Homer farts. Near Byward Market Area: Miles Corkin takes Yue Long and Alex to a movie (Eddie Murphy & Tibet it must be THE GOLDEN CHILD). Miles once skied in Montreal. Alex wears a happy man smile face. A killer knifes Miles when Miles suggests walking through a short cut in an alley. The killer sings songs when he kills. He takes Yue with him. Miles dies saying, "CóChristmas, what a shitty time to die." At the funeral is Toshiro Kimura, secretly hidden. Homer consoles Simon who is crying about the loss of their family. Toshiro, trying to find out about Yue and the killer, hasn't time to fool with two men who won't give him the info, so he cuts off one of their arms and throws a star into the back of the other's head. He will not let the second man bleed to death if the man gives him the info. He does. Constable Vachon apprehends the killer who is beating a homeless man but Toshiro asks the cop to let the killer go to lead him to someone. The killer gets away and goes to Yue who is tied up. Homer goes to a trendy bar on Bank Street to ask Archie (who accidentally spits on a waitress) for help in getting the killer and finding Yue. The killer brings Yue to Mr. Sinclair, a high placed government official (we find out next issue) who runs both sides of the law, ready to use Yue in the white slavery ring. Toshiro beats the guys Sinclair has following the killer. One accidentally shoots another. Toshiro takes their plates.
	Backup story: "Blizzard part 1" Hotachi is looking for Marduc (isn't is Marduk?) in the remote mountain region of the Canadian Rockies. He is in a super tank mobile which is destroyed by gunners. Hotachi was out of it when it was blasted and survives a fall off a ledge after which he beats up the men who come to get him. He attacks men on a huge landwalker but two landwalkers get him and take him back to Marduc's huge inner mountain base. Marduc calls himself the creator of Hotachi, his father and wants to enlist Hotachi in his "holy quest". If he does not help him...Hotachi will die. Difficult to tell what is going on at times. It is a good idea to have other characters in the backup...who are linked to the main storyline.	REVIEW Issue 13 begins three months after the destruction of the Naganata. Velvet Black has left the service of the United Nations and has started a private organization called Splinter, headquartered in Ottawa. This is a small group comprised of her adherents from the Naganata, Simon and Professor Stringfellow, and some of Toshiro's old connections, including Homer and Archie Bodonie. They have also picked up three characters from the comic book DragonRing. These are Miles (a Homer Bentley equivalent) and Yué and Alex, a couple of boys who were Kohl Drake's sidekicks. All of these people (and Gennin, I suppose) think that Toshiro is dead. Actually he's just working alone, Lone Range style, for reasons that are never explained in any rational way. But to resume the plot: Miles takes Alex and Yué out to a movie and makes the mistake of taking a shortcut through an ally. There the trio runs afoul of a near-crazy drug addict with a butcher knife who fatally stabs Miles without the slightest provocation, then seizes Yué and runs off with him. Alex, incidentally, is supposed to have ESP powers, but they obviously weren't working that night! Anyway Yué is carried off and it is assumed that he has been stolen by "White Slavers". This is in fact the case, and Yué soon is facing the usual "fate worse than death". However Toshiro appears on the scene and begins to methodically butcher his way through the slave ring. The art (including cover) is all by Dale Keown. None of the characters look even remotely like they do in the earlier issues. There are some very effective scenes of extreme violence, and some female characters are drawn in a notably sexy way.