SYNOPSIS
Contributing Artist: Tim McEownToshiro is to rescue Prof. Stringfellow or silence him. He is on an island near Jamaica. Homer tells John that Toshiro's father died in Vietnam. Toshiro kills lots of Nazis. In an underground complex, Otto Arkoff is reintroduced to Stringfellow. Arkoff shows him that Simon is his alsoññand he is finishing the brainwashing his cult started. Arkoff plans on using the Stringfellow fortune for his experiments. 100 miles above the Earth on Naganata, Sally is found out. Toshiro gets Stringfellow out but goes back for Simon, having to kill more guards. Underfoot is a spongelike ground and lots of Arkoff's old failures are mutants (one looks like he is the monster from THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE). Toshiro kills some more Nazi men (and one in particular is found getting a sword through his belly into the stone wall behind him!) in good fashion. Arkoff himself picks up Toshiro and throws him down. Hotachi uses attack plan 7 as he and his robot suited men attack the island. Simon uses the sword to attack Arkoff but is tossed aside. The back of Arkoff's head looks like a butt. A blast hits near Toshiro and Arkoff, with Arkoff falling down into his failures. Simon pulls Toshiro to safety. Captain Flint, the leader of the Master Race forces, hates Arkoff now since the big guy showed disdain for the Master Race ways. He holds a gun on Toshiro, tells him he is happy he exists, and that they will meet again. He leaves in a sub. Hotachi finds them, almost sounding concerned for Toshiro. Simon and Toshiro get to the boat and Hotachi destroys the island. One week later, near Zak's place off Queen Street West, Toronto: four kids (one is Simon; are the others Alex and Yue? One has a tail on the back of his hair) skate and challenge Homer, who falls. Hotachi greets Toshiro on the street to talk. Hotachi has a white band down the front of his hair. Zak's place is near the corner of Spadina Nnd Dundas on the outskirts of Chinatown. Here Gen and Toshiro talk and grow closer. Gen is dismayed at the life Toshiro has but he claims to have quit. It killed their father. Gen tells Toshiro he is her big brother (NOTE: In the older series, it appeared he was a bit younger). Soho Street: Toshiro lives above the acupuncturist, Mr. Tsun. Ninja seem to invade...
Samurai penetrates the secret base, which is operated by actual Nazis who wear SS field-uniforms. There Professor Stringfellow is being drugged and tortured by Dr. Otto Arkoff, who is the mad scientist originally responsible for the clones used on the Naganata. Arkoff also has the Professor's 12-year-old son Simon and is brainwashing him--using a rather quaint machine--to be his total slave. Samurai frees the captives and the base is then blown up by a strike team from the Naganata. Despite having successfully completed the mission Toshiro doesn't want to carry on working for the Naganata as he can't stand taking orders. Issues one and two form a complete adventure which has definitely ended--or has it?
In issue 2 much more of the art was penciled and inked by Barry. I judge that he penciled 30 pages and inked 15 of 32 pages. Style is very good though a trifle busy. The cover of number two is one of the best, though amateurish. It shows Samurai, with Simon cowering behind him, kicking three armed Nazis in field uniform down a staircase. A great action cover. The inside front cover has a drawing of Samurai, the rear cover has a pin-up of Homer and Gennin, both by Barry. Homer is shown wearing a brush jacket and military-style cap (which will later become his trademark) and holding a bottle of booze--also a trademark, Gennin is dressed conservatively and it seems that the "motorcycle mamma" image has been re-thought.