While I’m still getting into manga as a whole, it’s still interesting to not just see the difference between the various creators, but the differences of where they’re made too. Enter Strike & Slayer by writer Darius Walker with art by Renzo Cardenos and there’s a lot of promise there, but as a first volume there’s still some chopiness that’s pretty clear, though not fatal to the enjoyment.

Published by Shining Otaku Comics, the story is about a husband and wife team who help local towns to defeat demon like creatures called “nightmares.” Both are able to control magic with both living lifetimes at this point.

The story has its ups and downs as Walker and Cardenas do their best to mimic the style of comic they love in manga. There’s big battles with lots of over the top scenes (a must for me when it comes to action manga), and while the general story is smooth there’s some issues when it comes to the dialogue which at times can be stilted and other times isn’t needed. The comic is a bit more tell than show, something that feels like the opposite of a lot of the manga I’ve read. We get each character explaining their situations are a moment and it’s clear it’s to us the reader, not to anyone on the page. That’s the sort of issues that pepper this first volume and whole odd at times, it’s still enjoyable.

Cardenas’ art is fantastic at times, but like the dialogue, the art is also hit and miss. At times, there’s fantastic images that really bring home the action and single panels showing off characters or nightmares look solid as well, but the narrative flow isn’t quite there. Cardenas doesn’t really nail the flow of the images and action, there’s not a sense of movement, just static panels, and scenes that feel a bit stilted instead of working together.

Striker & Slayer is a good start to the series that lays things out, a bit too much in a way, and the concept and twists are good. There’s just a roughness to the volume that kept me from getting really sucked into it. What will be interesting is seeing how the series evolves over each volume, hopefully showing improvement as it goes along.

Story: Darius Walker Art: Renzo Cardenas Cover: Felix Sewada Letters: Ervin Johnson
Story: 5.5 Art: 5.5 Overall: 5.5 Recommendation: Pass

Shining Otaku Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review