Shaman Warrior Volume 2

by Park Joong-Ki

Book Overview

Marked for death by a jealous king, master warrior-wizard Yarong entrusts the care of his child to Batu, a loyal servant. With Yarong's child in tow, Batu seeks refuge in a nondescript hovel, ready to defend the youngster against the king's sinister henchmen. Help comes from a surprising source a violent, headstrong young warrior who's also felt the harsh sting of betrayal. Forming an alliance, they pit their wits, sword skills, and brute strength...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593077491
• ISBN13: 9781593077495
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Dark Horse Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

The Shaman are now the hunted!

Shaman Warrior Vol. 2 continues the Dark Horse Comics adaptation of one of the best-selling Korean Manhwa titles of all time. In 2006, it won the Korean Culture & Content Agency's award for best Manhwa of 2006. In the opening volume we met the Shaman Warrior Master Yarong. Shaman Warriors are an elite order of warriors, gifted with fantastic fighting and spiritual abilities. The Death Lord, Yuda, hunts down Yarong and his servant Batu. Yarong gives his young child to Batu for safe-keeping and the pair go into hiding. Yarong finally dies in battle, killing scores of Yuda's soldiers. Volume two begins ten years later. In the land of Kugai, Shaman Warriors are not being hunted down and killed, labeled as sadistic killers. Even the Great Master Yarong has gone down in history as a murderous monster. Soldiers of Kugai search all people traveling through their lands, hoping to find and kill the remaining Shaman Warriors. A young Warrior, posing as an herbalist barely escapes, killing several soldiers. He's soon on the run through the unforgiving desert. Hot on his trail are a group of Hunters whose reputation for evil is matched only by their fighting prowess. On the run, the young Shaman Horakaan has unwittingly led his pursuers right to the desert hovel where Batu hides out with Yarong's young son, Yaki. As long as Yaki has Shaman blood in him, Batu knows he'll never be safe. Shaman Warrior is a simply dazzling piece of storytelling. It's like a wonderful Greek epic, filled with virtuous heroes, bloodthirsty villains, and grand battle scenes. The Death Lord Yuda is a villain on a par with the likes of Darth Vader or Fu Manchu, cunningly evil and thoroughly sadistic. In many ways, there are some parallels to Star Wars as the Shaman Warriors are not unlike Jedi Knights, their order being hunted down and slaughtered by Yuda's soldiers, just as the Empire hunted down the Jedi Knights. As great as Park Joong-Ki's story is, the art is just as spectacular. His art is not as cartoony as traditional Manga-style art, but infused with a grittier sense of realism. The fight scenes are brilliantly rendered, as elegant as the finest ballet, but with the bloodletting of a Quentin Tarrantino film. His art is extremely rich and detailed. This titles is called a fantasy but the fantasy elements are slight. This is truly more of an action/drama with great characters and a story that will have you waiting impatiently for the next volume. Reviewed by Tim Janson