Gadirok: Requiem Chorus: Volume 1

Simply put, this first of eight volumes is nearly incomprehensible; the confusion is akin to encountering a long-running soap opera for the first time and having no idea what's going on. In an undefined fantasy world that blends modern/futurist visual sensibilities with period Korean costumes, the sword-wielding hero, Gat, has battled his way to the building where the deposed prince of the Jew-Shin Empire is held captive. Upon dispatching various levels of cannon fodder, Gat rescues the prince, only to find him in a sorry state of physical and mental debilitation. At this point readers meet an overwhelming array of warriors, spunky female martial artists, soldier-priests and evil spirits who seek to wreak all manner of havoc, with an alarming number of flashbacks and turgid historical text pages thrown into the mix. Not only do these fail to alleviate readers' bewilderment, they also bring the narrative to a screeching halt. Figure in the utterly pedestrian b&w art and the prospect of seven more volumes, and you have a recipe for boredom.