Story and Pencils: Barry Blair
Art: Pat and Tim McEown
SYNOPSIS
Gennin Kimura wants Homer to continue his tales. Gen keeps the beers coming and Homer
goes on. Another flashback (probably from another LOST ISSUE: Hong Kong: Toshiro
stabs a fat man who was selling drugs to children. Velvet Black comes in and they
drive off with Homer.
THE MOONSTONES OF DOOM: a battle suit giant blocks their way. It is their operative.
The Earth doesn't agree with Velvet's methods of peacekeeping so she seemed to have
swiped the Naganata. Homer is on it for the first time. Mr. Yushi tells them about
a curse...a great warlord in the time of the giants. He sealed himself in a deep
temple in Cambodia. Homer doesn't want to go back thereññhe was almost cooked in
Vietnam, he says. Toshiro calls Hotachi Kiku San when Hotachi enters and throws sarcasm
his way, seeing a kiss between Black and Toshiro. Toshiro retorts, "I see you
have not committed seppuki yet." Yushi, Homer, Hotachi, Toshiro, and a bunch
of Jin Warriors (a bunch of kids to Homer) are in the jungles looking for destination
T. Pilot warriors who were built genetically small to fit in the MCA devices. Most
of the pilots are clones of Samurai or warriors, trained as pilots and soldiers.
Homer tells Toshiro that Hotachi does not have the same magic as Toshiro and never
will. A spear goes right through one of the clones back's and out his chest. Head
Hunters attack. Hotachi sees "friends" when he looks through binocularsññthe
heads stuck on wooden poles. He is crying when he turns around and calls the world
a cruel place. Yushi opens the doors with an incantation but dies from one of the
spear traps. As they descend stairs, a secret drain holds Mutant men who take blond
Jeff, the friend of Kushaka. They go into a room which is a trap and outside mutant
men try to get in. Hotachi and Kwon go into the water duct to unlock the another
door. Spears go through the door and the back of Kushaka and out his upper chest
and upper mid section. Hotachi finds the moonstone with Kwon.
Homer tells Gen he is getting to the good part but his glass is empty.
REVIEW
Another pre-Aircel story is reprinted in issues nine and ten. It is presented as
a flashback told by Homer Bentley. The story begins with Samurai liquidating a drug
peddler in Hong Kong. Just after he stabs this guy in the guts, Velvet Black, the
Commander of the Space Cruiser Naganata walks in, compliments him on the
job, and offers to help him escape. They escape in a car driven by Homer Bentley
and end up in outer space, aboard the Naganata. Toshiro belatedly realizes
that he's been shanghaied! Commander Black reveals that there is a terrible threat
involving the possible destruction of the earth. An ancient monk tells the following
story: Thousands of years ago in pre-historical times there arose a warlord of incredible
strength and power. He had vast armies and his conquests were carried out with utter
brutality. He also was an adept in the Black Arts which he used in his conquests.
Wishing to become the greatest warrior of all time he found a way to magically preserve
himself and his vast army for a future awakening. It is believed that when he awakens
his powers will have reached their peak and his army will become unstoppable!
As soon as Velvet gets a moment alone with Toshiro she tries to rekindle an old romance, by kissing him good and hard--but Toshiro doesn't respond at all. Obviously she has the hots for him while he doesn't want her at all!
Soon Samurai, Homer, and a bunch of pint-sized soldiers from the Naganata are trekking through the jungles of Cambodia towards an ancient temple complex where the Naganata's sensors have detected strange "readings". On the way Toshiro explains to Homer that the Naganata soldiers are clones, grown small in order to fit economically in certain types of space craft. The most objectionable of these clones, a little blighter named Hotachi with a skunk-like white stripe on his head, was cloned from Toshiro.
The party arrives at the Temple. The entrance to the temple is a vast, ornately carved doorway in a valley surrounded by high cliffs in which giant stone faces and strange patterns have been carved. Inside, the temple is huge and fantastic, with a stone staircase which winds down and down seemingly without end. Nor is it deserted, for it is inhabited by ghoulish creatures which drag off several of the clones to an unspecified (though horrible) fate and chase the others down the staircase, where they eventually find the chamber of the Army of the Dead!
The art in issue 9 is variable. It was penciled by Barry and inked by Guang Yap.
The quality of the artwork goes up and down--mostly down--throughout the story. The
best point of the art is the first panel in which Velvet Black is drawn--she looks
quite sexy in a sort of pseudo-Nazi uniform. I think that Barry inked this panel
himself. From this point the art gradually deteriorates, though the temple scenes
remain very impressive.
The cover of number 9 is above average, showing Toshiro, Homer and Hotachi straining
to hold shut a wooden door which has been penetrated by a half-dozen spear points.
An exciting and colorful scene which actually occurred in the story.
The story line is extremely sweeping: I believe that this story is the origin of the Naganata, Velvet Black, the clones, and Hotachi. The scale upon which the scenes of the temple were conceived is almost indescribable!