Samurai: Demon Sword #1
Night Wynd, 1993, b&w.
s Samurai: Demon Sword #1 cover HEATWAVE!óFire hydrants open up in a heatwave in NY. Angel, wearing a ragged cut off sleeveless short cut T tanktop, and Xiao, wearing a scale covered (?) one piece bathing suit (?) or tights (?) are hot and complain to Hotachi, who is meditating or stretching. Gen already threw them out of her ballet class. Simon (long hair in back, short in front), Neji, Lee (with kerchief on head), and Perrigrin (with almost no hair and some kind of cap on) are told by Gen that 120 degrees is good to work out in. Simon wears hearts on his tights, Neji something like happy faces. Gen pulls Simon's leotards up tight. Lee thinks it is fun to watch. Gen makes Simon practice the splits. Angel and Xiao find Homey who is in a little baby pool, reading. They cannonball in with him. Phil is told to turn up the blasted AC, Marge is asked where the last beer is, Marge tells Lou she drank it. Someone says, "All right Ralph, just this once." Someone says, "Baby, you're the greatest." Lippi, sucking a candy nipple, is asked for money by a bigger boy, his pal (?) who tells him to shaddup. They are broke but go to Gen's ballet to squeeze money out of heróóthe gang hasn't been able to do this to Gen. These two boys have joined a gang called So High. When the big boy confronts Gen, Lee tries to step in, the boy also calling the other boys there faggots. The bigger boy pulls a big knife on Lee. Gen asks what they want. Samurai comes down, having heard the bigger boy call Gen a bitch. He punches the bigger boy in the face and bloodies his nose. Lippi helps the bigger boy out. Gen wants to get the boys back to work. Simon, on the floor still, from the split, asks, "Can someone give me a hand?" The bigger boy (missing teeth) vows to get Hotachi. The two gang boys see apprentice monks from down the street's monastery. They eat ice cream and hold umbrellas. The two follow the new two into a temple where they give an round stone to an old one whose people, here to work on the railroad many years ago, found and imprisoned the ancient evil. The stone is the key to the evil which must never be released. The two boys attack and the key falls into a pit. A feature less creature rises from the pit, "Hello humans. What? no welcome back party?" It says, "Well, I imagine you all know who I am and what I want. Here's a hint." He squishes the old man. The monk boys run. The creature sees that the bigger boy, the gang boy, didn't run. The bigger boy says, "I...I respect you." The long haired giant says, "I need a guide in this time, boy. You'll do for now." The bigger boys says, "I can't wait till Samurai sees this baby."