HONOR AND CURSE #10 – The Honest Review

In HONOR AND CURSE #10, available from Mad Cave Studios on April 14th, 2021, the origin of the blood feud between the Iga and Koga clans is revealed, and Genshi tests the limits of his training too soon with disastrous consequences.

The Details

• Written By: Mark London
• Art By: Nicolás Salamanca
• Colors By: Tekino
• Letters By: Miguel Angel Zapata
• Cover Art By: Nicolás Salamanca, Tekino
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: April 14th, 2021

Was It Good?

Yes, for two reasons. One, quite a bit of backstory is revealed about the blood feud that helps the reader decide who they want to root for and why. Second, it’s always fun to see bullies get smacked down (more on that later).

The art is consistently good from each previous issue to this one. Check out our HONOR AND CURSE #10 preview to see the pages for yourself.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

We begin in a flashback. News has reached Koga about the death of Lady Tsuma at the hands of a Tengu (read our HONOR AND CURSE #9 review to see what happened). Sawa and Yazuro discuss the killing as Yazuro believes the Iga clan may lash out. Sawa’s life is in danger as someone who is connected to the Shinto and the ways of magic and demons.

During their talk, Sawa makes Yazuro swear to always protect her children and to never do battle against Haruki (Lady Tsuma’s husband) out of anger. He agrees both for the nobility of her request and out of devotion to her.

There’s an emotional bond between Sawa and Yazuro here that sets up the strong motivations for Yazuro during the flashback and in the present day. There are no complete heroes or villains in this story, only people driven to act in service of the ones they love. That setup displays a depth and complexity you don’t see much in comics today.

Still in the flashback but a short while later, Yazuro goes to Iga to pay his respects for Lady Tsuma’s death. Haruki, stricken by grief, flies into a rage and attacks Yazuro because the Toga clan is friendly to the Shinto. The Tengu are Shinto who have lost their way, but Haruki’s grief turns to madness, and he vows to destroy anyone that is friendly to the Shinto.

This series takes key elements and tropes from Samurai epic stories to give the plot weight. A ruler descending into madness over the loss of loved ones fits neatly into the Samurai genre, and it plays perfectly as the source for a year’s long feud.

Haruki and Yazuro cross swords briefly, but their emotional pain over the end of their friendship forces them to walk away from each other. Yazuro returns to Koga and puts his people on alert in case Haruki sends assassins to kill the clan leader in retribution. Despite his warning, Haruki does manage to have Riku and Sawa killed. Acting on his vow to Sawa, Yazuro evacuates Genshi and Esaki for their protection.

We’re only up to page 11, and it’s a lot. The story is complex and dense, but you never feel like it’s a slog to get through because the pacing is excellent. If you pay attention to all the players, the story unfolds into an intricate drama that’s worth the journey.

Back to the present day. Esaki and Yua have returned from their failed peace talks with Lady Akemi at Iga. We learn how and why an assassin attacked Lady Akemi. It was a planned attack by Yua meant to convince Lady Akemi the Shinto could be allies. We made a point that the attack on Lady Akemi didn’t make much sense in the last issue due to the lack of questioning or follow-up once the attacker was stopped. This explanation does answer the odd lack of follow-up, but only for the Koga visitors, not the Iga. It’s a minor plot blip that doesn’t take away from the story, but you have to stretch to buy into this point.

During Yua and Esaki’s briefing with Yazuro, a message arrives that seems to indicate Lady Akemi has changed her mind about allying with the Koga. Sadly, the look on Yazuro’s face after reading the message gives you the impression his intentions are not honorable.

Genshi is training in his cave, growing stronger by the day to get his Tengu under control. Feeling cooped up, he decides to secretly sneak out for a change of scenery and some fresh air. When he strolls through the busy market in a nearby village, he catches the eye of a young maiden. Sadly, her bully boyfriend isn’t pleased about the exchanged glances and the bully with his group of friends decides to put Genshi in his place. The Tengu inside Genshi has other ideas, and Genshi flees after making a bloody mess.

The next day, Yua receives word of the fight and leaves to investigate. She finds everything she’s been looking for and more.

How Does It End?

Yua follows the trail to its source. Genshi receives a scolding. “…Father?”

Final Thoughts

HONOR AND CURSE #10, available from Mad Cave Studios on April 14th, 2021, impossibly packs more story, revelations, drama, and emotion than it seems possible in a single issue. For such a deep and dense story, the pacing is on point and the art is excellent.

Score: 8.5/10