Tag Archives: cold blood samurai

Preview: Cold Blood Samurai Volume 1

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COLD BLOOD SAMURAI VOLUME 1

Writer(s): Massimo Rosi
Artist Name(s): Ludovica Ceregatti (Pencils), Renato Stevanato (Colors)
Cover Artist(s): Ludovica Ceregatti
128 pgs./ T / FC
$14.99

A samurai salamander, looking for his lost honor, decides to commit Harakiri. But in order to have an honorable death, he has to do it under the roof of the Shogun’s house Swollen-Cheeks. Something terrible will bring the fighting spirit of the Gaijin salamander back: an invasion, a vengeance and a war between the last samurai frogs and the lizards coming from West to take control of the throne and the whole Rising Sun country.

COLD BLOOD SAMURAI VOLUME 1

Preview: Cold Blood Samurai #6

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COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #6

Writer(s): Massimo Rosi
Artist Name(s): Ludovica Ceregatti (Pencils), Renato Stevanato (Colors)
Cover Artist(s): Ludovica Ceregatti
32 pgs./ T / FC
$3.99

Black-Spit’s evil plan fails as the sixth sense of Gaijin saves the Shogun Swollen-Cheeks’ life. Now it’s time for a last desperate action: killing Black-Spit, cutting the Serpent’s head off inside its own camp. Gaijin is the only one who can complete this kind of mission, save everyone and, finally, commit his long awaited Harakiri… or not?

COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #6

Preview: Cold Blood Samurai #5

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COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #5

Writer(s): Massimo Rosi
Artist Name(s): Ludovica Ceregatti (Pencils), Renato Stevanato (Colors)
Cover Artist(s): Ludovica Ceregatti
32 pgs./ T / FC
$3.99

The honor of the samurai is like a stone. None seems to win the siege: the Emperor’s army is marching south to help Black-Spit destroy the Shogun fortress. Black-Spit tries something suspicious: a meeting with Swollen-Cheeks to make them surrender. But something bad is happening behind the Black-Spit’s intentions.

COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #5

Preview: Cold Samurai #4

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COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #4

Writer(s): Massimo Rosi
Artist Name(s): Ludovica Ceregatti (Pencils), Renato Stevanato (Colors)
Cover Artist(s): Ludovica Ceregatti
32 pgs./ T / FC
$3.99

Shogun fortress is under siege. The Lizards, headed by the evil Black-Spit, are attacking the walls. Battles are furious and many are dying. Gaijin Salamander is the last of an ancient order of warriors and his support will be fundamental for Swallen-Cheeks and his army. Fire will burn and blood will be spilled on the battlefield.

COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #4

Preview: Cold Blood Samurai #3

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COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #3

Writer(s): Massimo Rosi
Artist Name(s): Ludovica Ceregatti (Pencils), Renato Stevanato (Colors)
Cover Artist(s): Ludovica Ceregatti
32 pgs./ T / FC
$3.99

He is a Gaijin, a stranger, alone in a country far from everything. He lost his love and his master… there’s only one thing he’s expecting: Harakiri, the ritual suicide. To deserve an honorable death, he has to reach the Shogun Swallen-Cheeks’ mansion and ask for permission. With his fortress under attack, the Shogun will ask him something that will change the salamander’s life forever.

COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #3

Preview: Cold Blood Samurai #2

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COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #2

Writer(s): Massimo Rosi
Artist Name(s): Ludovica Ceregatti (Pencils), Renato Stevanato (Colors)
Cover Artist(s): Ludovica Ceregatti
32 pgs./ T / FC
$3.99

The dark past of the Gaijin Salamander is facing him one last time. A group of Crab bandits is hiding in the foggy mountains, attacking the villages nearby. Some frog villagers ask desperately for the mighty gaijin sword-master to help them. In the meantime, the civil war between the last samurais, headed by Swollen-Cheeks, and the emperor army, begins.

COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #2

Review: Cold Blood Samurai #1

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Cold Blood Samurai #1

“We are the last warriors, the last pacifists of that school, and I leave her inheritance in your hands… you are a Gaijin.” A feudal Japan with anthropomorphic and samurai animals inspired by Homer’s poem on “War of Mice and Frogs,” Batrachomyomachia. As in the classic poem, one tells of the futility of war and the desire for peace by Gaijin, a foreign salamander in a Japan of frogs invaded by lizards.

Sometimes all it takes to hook you into a comic is the title. A title like Cold Blood Samurai.

I hadn’t actually read the preview text when opening the comic, so I didn’t expect to find a comic featuring anthropomorphic reptiles. Massimo Rosi‘s story is also far more interesting that I expected, too; I’m not too familiar with Japanese history around the time the comic is set, but I didn’t need to be in order to become engrossed in this comic.

Rosi is able to set the scene and give a background to his story through the narration of the first half of the comic, bring those unfamiliar (like myself) up to speed with the story’s setting, which positions him in begin delving into the deeper themes of the series as the comic unfolds. Themes of war and peace, the reluctant hero outsider and the corruption of state. Cold Blood Samurai is a tense, yet gently paced read that will open its arms to you and pull you into the murky arms of a story that is, at it’s heart, about one verses many (though one gets the sense that this is an oversimplification of the comic).

Visually, penciller Ludovica Ceregatti and colourist Renato Stevanato have produced a visual style that easily enables the reader to differentiate between the frogs, lizards and the titular salamander whilst remaining on the more serious side of spectrum. There are some utterly wonderful silent action sequences that make an effective use of nine horizontal panels to create an elegant dance of death as the salamander faces off against nearly a dozen foes before zooming in to watch the lethality of his swords-creature-ship.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the first issue of this series, but now that I’ve found what could easily be one of the better comics from Action Lab, I’m looking forward to the second issue. Cold Blood Samurai took me by surprise – a wonderfully elegant surprise.

Story: Massimo Rosi Art: Ludovica Ceregatti
Colours: Renato Stevanato Lettering: Mattia Gentili
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

Action Lab Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Sweetie #2

Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Batman Who Laughs #4 (DC Comics) – How does the Batman Who Laughs see through that visor? Scott Snyder says we’ll find out here!

Cold Blood Samurai #1 (Action Lab Entertainment) – A feudal Japan with anthropomorphic and samurai animals inspired by Homer’s poem on “War of Mice and Frogs,” Batrachomyomachia. Sure, why not?

Detective Comics #1001 (DC Comics) – The Arkham Knight has arrived!!!

Fairlady #1 (Image Comics) – Fantasy often features war, but what happens when the war is over? This first issue features a complete 30-page story in the issue.

Faithless #1 (BOOM! Studios) – Brian Azzarello and Maria Llovet are delivering this new miniseries that’s about sex, the devil, and magic. We’re intrigued enough to check out the first issue.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5 (Marvel) – Aunt May will finally tell Peter what’s going on in this issue and it’s going to be an emotional one.

Ronin Island #2 (BOOM! Studios) – Writer Greg Pak has been knocking it out of the park and this series which focuses on former enemies having to band together to survive is really good so far.

She Could Fly: The Lost Pilot #1 (Dark Horse) – The miniseries continues with a new volume!

Symbiote Spider-Man #1 (Marvel) – Untold tales of Peter’s time with the black suit!

Sweetie #2 (Action Lab Entertainment) – A high school student is a hero but her powers won’t help her make friends. It’s been good so far.

War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #1 (Marvel) – The War of the Realms has begun and this seems like it’s going to be one of the key tie-ins focused on Thor’s sister!

Web of Venom: Cult of Carnage #1 (Marvel) – Something big is coming having to do with Carnage and Venom and this series will probably be key.

Preview: Cold Blood Samurai #1

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COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #1

Writer(s): Massimo Rosi
Artist Name(s): Ludovica Ceregatti (Pencils), Renato Stevanato (Colors)
Cover Artist(s): Ludovica Ceregatti
Lettering: Mattia Gentili
Editing: Andrea Lorenzo Molinari
32 pgs./ T / FC
$3.99

“We are the last warriors, the last pacifists of that school, and I leave her inheritance in your hands … you are a Gaijin.” A feudal Japan with anthropomorphic and samurai animals inspired by Homer’s poem on “War of Mice and Frogs”, Batrachomyomachia. As in the classic poem, one tells of the futility of war and the desire for peace by GAIJIN, a foreign salamander in a Japan of frogs invaded by lizards.

COLD BLOOD SAMURAI #1

It’s a Cold Blood Samurai in March

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Creator Massimo Rosi shares the story of Cold Blood Samurai with us this March! It’s being published by Action Lab Entertainment.

In the series announcement, Rosi said:

Blood runs wild in feudal Japan, with the violence of the sword of Takeshi Kitano and the purity warrior’s soul that searches for a perfect death, which is difficult when trapped in a war that doesn’t concern him. The greatest living warrior is an anthropomorphic salamander, in a world where samurai frogs have been invaded by the crazy and colonizing lizards.

Our samurai Salamander, heir to the great martial arts techniques, is searching for a noble death, but instead finds himself entangled in the war that rages between frogs and lizards, in the land of the Rising Sun.”

This unusual mix of genres allows the reader to engage in something interesting, powerful, meditative, full of action and yet also full of zen calm moments. The main character is carried visually from his appearance as a salamander to the perfect conception of himself. Cold Blood Samurai is a story of growth and awareness in a world of feudal Japan, but with cartoon-style anthropomorphic animals.

As I wrote Cold Blood Samurai I wanted to be moved by the story I was writing, to engage with it, and I succeeded in that, and all that I hope for is that everything I have learned along the way also breaks through to the reader’s heart, as it did mine.

Written by Rosi, the series features art by Ludovica Ceregatti, colors by Renato Stevanato, lettering by Mattia Gentili, edited by Lorenzo Molinari, and a cover by Ceregatti. Preorder the first issue of Cold Blood Samurai with the Diamond item code JAN191432. It will be in a comic store near you in March 2019.

Cold Blood Samurai