Assassin's Creed: Awakening is one of the weirdest and yet coolest comic book experiences I had last year. As you're about to learn, it isn't formatted like a regular Western comic. It caught me completely off-guard, but I have to give Ubisoft and Titan Comics some credit here. This is a brilliant idea and a very creative move on their end. Assassin's Creed had four comic books out last year and had to find new ways of innovating them, be it new characters/ settings, different points of view, continuations of stories...or completely removing the standard comic book format.
The comic, as you may or may not be able to tell, is actually a manga. Written by Takashi Yano and drawn beautifully by Kenji Oiwa (who also did the cover), this manga is a retelling of some of the events of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, a favorite amongst fans of the franchise.
There are three reasons why I want to make this review brief: 1) It's a retelling of the videogame, I don't want to spoil those events because you should go out and play the game! 2) Not much happens. But that's a good thing. 3) Go experience this comic for yourselves.
I imagine quite a few fans were shocked at how this comic was presented, seeing as how it is the same size as a regular Western comic. But I like it all the more for that reason. I love reading manga regularly in their volumes, but there's something about the texture of this type of book coinciding with the manga-style that worked for me. I'd love to see more companies experiment with this idea. There's a Batman manga out there, why not do something similar?
The reason this review is coming out on Tuesday not a Wednesday is because this is more a manga than a comic book. It reads right to left, the action feels like something out of a manga, the sound effects are in the manga-style. The two mediums are, at their core, not too different, but in execution they often vary quite a bit. It's harder to capture some elements of action in Western comics, with a manga it's okay to have full pages of destruction.
This style was a perfect choice for this comic. If you've ever played Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, you know how the game starts. If you haven't: you are thrust right into the action. The same happens here. It opens on an epic naval war between Edward Kenway's ship and another boat before the battle begins anew with two other ships. It's fast-paced and the comic executes the action well.
Oiwa's art is to die for. You get lost in the action, all the lines and shadows that he uses to cast these video game characters in a new light, and breathe a different style of life into them. I never thought I'd want to see Edward in a comic, much less a manga, but now I'd love to see Oiwa pull of Connor or the Frye twins. Hell, why not make an entirely original Assassin's Creed manga with new characters with this creative team?
If you're looking for story here you won't really get it. There are hints of a greater world around Edward, but not much about him or the others. You get his backstory, that he wanted to become a pirate to get a fortune for his girlfriend back in England, and that's basically it. There are a few minor differences here compared to the game (his status as a pirate, the loyalty of his crewmates, how he meets that certain someone) but they're really not that big a deal and we swing so fast back into the action that it's hardly noticeable.
The only truly original bit at the end is the introduction of Masato Yagyu, the guy Abstergo Entertainment has put on the task of reviewing Edward's footage. It's an interesting scene because it isn't even clear if this is Abstergo Entertainment yet or still Abstergo Industries. Not to mention that he uses the older versions of the Animus rather than the one the player character (PC) uses in "Black Flag." Putting a face to the PC, though was a bold move. We also get hints of his backstory (his mother being a former person the Templar used) but not much about his character.
But the action tho....
It's visceral and exciting and so fast. This is an easy read, even for someone who isn't used to the manga style. The pages are large enough for you to not get lost and follow the flow. Each panel leads into the next (duh) to serve the next swing or attack that Edward makes.
My only issue with it is the price-tag attached to it, but it'd be interesting to read it in a trade collection (no doubt it'll all be cheaper then). If not, and you just want to check it out, give it a go.
Assassin's Creed: Awakening #1 works on every level that it needs to: the action, execution of this unique approach to telling the story in this format, and bringing some new spins to an old story (not to mention getting me excited for this pirate again).
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