Katana sets out to have her sword, the Soul Taker, repaired after it was shattered and released all of the souls trapped within it, including those of her husband Maseo and the new interpretation of The Creeper. Interestingly, the woman named after a sword, must learn to employ alternate weapons, throwing stars and metal fans in her quest, as she encounters a new foe, the blonde martial artist Swagger. (Isn’t that a fragrance of Axe body spray?) Katana finds herself allied with her former adversary Coil against her new opponents.
We also get some development of The Creeper and his alter ego Jack Ryder, who appears to be a tragic drunk, but there seems to be more to the story. Jack Ryder used to be a Caucasian ginger, but here he is cast as an Asian American. It doesn’t bother me, but then again, I wasn’t a huge Creeper fan to begin with. I would imagine purists may have issues.
The art on this series has consistently been excellent and that carries on with this issue, as Alex Sanchez and Cliff Richards split art duties. The flow is seamless and both deliverer incredible jobs here.
The story was a tad slow, but after having her sword shattered, Katana has no choice but to seek to have it repaired and also, to employ alternate weapons.
In all, this is a very underrated series. Katana herself is a low-key character, so her supporting cast has had to add the spice. Unfortunately, most of them are absent this issue, so the issue wasn’t the most engaging. But even so, it’s a solid series, definitely worth checking out. It’s worth it just for the art!
KATANA #5
Written by Ann Nocenti
Art by Alex Sanchez and Cliff Richards
Cover by Juan Jose Ryp with Sonia Oback
