Fist of The North Star Vol: 1 - Simple Yet Satisfying

Words: Buronson | Art: Tetsuo Hara | Publisher: VIZ Media LLC

I love comic books. It's the primary reason I write long-winded reviews of books no one will ever read on a site that no one will ever see.

One reason western comics are losing ground to Manga is the idea that every comic is someone’s first. It’s often hard for new readers to jump into a 700+ issue ongoing series. The question is often where do I start?

There’s also a sense that most comics and mini-series don’t matter. Comics are constantly shifted in unpopular directions by unpopular writers which kill enthusiasm within the core fanbase that cares about the character and their continuity.

Both positions cited above are contradictory at first glance. However, a nice jumping-on point will often entice new readers to invest in previous volumes of a popular ongoing franchise. This doesn’t work when you’re reading a reboot of a reboot of a reboot. This is the main reason I don’t review a series I have a working knowledge of or have Issue #1 on hand.

Fist of the North Star Volume 1 is my first Manga. I’d seen images of Ken floating around for decades and did watch a few minutes of the Anime. I still had no idea what the story was about or idea of what I was getting into.

Once I settled myself into the differences between manga and western comics I was immediately hooked on the Story of Kenshiro. This isn’t a deep story. However, I did appreciate that there weren’t 50-word balloons on every page. It’s also cool reading a story where the writer's political views aren’t driven home on every page.

Fist of the North Star reads a lot like a classic western blended with Mad Max. There is a narrative through-line that develops between segments of the story but each segment stands alone and begs the reader to keep going.

Most comics I review lately don’t seem to value standalone storytelling. If you pick up a random issue of a random comic book you’re probably going to be lost. This is a symptom of story decompression. In fairness, a 6-issue storyline will generally tell a complete story but jumping in is almost impenetrable, especially within a meandering story.

Fist of the North Star does not have this problem. Each segment of this volume starts with Kenshiro stumbling into a bad situation. By the end of the installment, justice is served in the most violent way possible. Stories are presented in a simple episodic format that makes this material easy to adapt across genres.

In addition to Buronson’s stellar narrative focus Fist of the North Star is a beautiful book. Tetsuo Hara’s characters are stylized and presented in equal parts power and menace. Kenshiro is a hugely powerful man. He’s often matched against threats that tower over him. This gives the impression that Ken is an underdog in the same sense that Hulk Hogan would be seen as an underdog against an opponent like Andre The Giant.

I loved Fist of the North Star Vol: 1 and its format. I’ve been reviewing the latest volumes as they are released. I'll also be checking out more Manga including Golgo 13 and Akira.

It is also nice to read a story that offers genuine escapism and not get dragged into whatever social ill is up the writer's ass this month.

In Short: Fist of the North Star Vol: 1 is your favorite Western blended with Mad Max and presented in a brilliant package.