Samurai: Heaven and Earth
Encyclopedia
Samurai: Heaven and Earth is a comic book
about a samurai
and his journey to rescue the woman he loves, published by Dark Horse Comics
. The title refers to an oath he swore to return to her ("I will allow nothing in Heaven or on Earth to come between us.").
It is written by Ron Marz
and drawn by Luke Ross.
in 1704 with a Chinese army of thousands attacking a Japanese castle of barely a hundred. During the battle only two samurai are shown to survive, one being the main character Asukai Shiro who was knocked out under a pile of rubble. The other survivor, Masahiro informs him that Yoshiko was taken by the Chinese. Shiro then acts as Masahiro's second for ritual suicide as he does not have anything to live for. Shiro then pursues the Chinese to China and battles the warlord and his small army at his fortress after learning that Yoshiko was sold to an Arab slave merchant.
Shiro follows the Arab to Paris, where he is accosted by bigoted Frenchmen at Notre Dame, he then battles three musketeers, eventually being subdued when one hits him from the back with a barrel of wine.
Shiro is then imprisoned in Bastille. He is released under the care of a Spanish Ambassador, Don Miguel Ratera Aguilar Y Aragon who plans on using him to assassinate Louis XIV in Versailles
. There he learnes that Yoshiko has been bought by Louis XIV, which causes him to no longer want to complete the assassination and just leave, unfortunately Louis and the musketeers don't know that and a battle ensues. Don Miguel tries to kill Shiro after learning he will not complete the assassination, during the battle Shiro is knocked unconscious and Don Miguel leaves with Yoshiko for Spain. The last comic ends with Shiro riding from Versailles on a horse that was given to him by the musketeers.
and was collected as a trade paperback
a year later:
It included a rare prelude for the first time in color and art done by other artists, along with the 5 issues.
The second miniseries began in December of 2006
and ended in mid 2007. The trade paperback was published late in 2007.
In late July 2007, Darkhorse started its Myspace Darkhorse Presents Online Comic. The first issue contained a short Samurai: H&E comic, which takes place betweenn issues 2 and 3 of Volume 1.
The third miniseries has yet to begin at this point.
army invades Japan
and attacks a Japanese Shogunate. China never attacked Japan in 1704. The Tokugawa Shogunate
were still in power, if China had done such a thing the Shogun would have taken such an attack as an act of war.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
about a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
and his journey to rescue the woman he loves, published by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
. The title refers to an oath he swore to return to her ("I will allow nothing in Heaven or on Earth to come between us.").
It is written by Ron Marz
Ron Marz
Ron Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Marvel vs DC, Batman/Aliens and Witchblade.-Career:...
and drawn by Luke Ross.
Characters
- Asukai Shiro: The main character
- Yoshiko: Shiro's love for whom he searches
- Don Miguel Ratera Aguilar Y Aragon: Spanish ambassador obsessed with Yoshiko
Plot
The story starts in Kaga ProvinceKaga Province
was an old province in the area that is today the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .Ruled by the Maeda clan, the capital of Kaga was Kanazawa. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces...
in 1704 with a Chinese army of thousands attacking a Japanese castle of barely a hundred. During the battle only two samurai are shown to survive, one being the main character Asukai Shiro who was knocked out under a pile of rubble. The other survivor, Masahiro informs him that Yoshiko was taken by the Chinese. Shiro then acts as Masahiro's second for ritual suicide as he does not have anything to live for. Shiro then pursues the Chinese to China and battles the warlord and his small army at his fortress after learning that Yoshiko was sold to an Arab slave merchant.
Shiro follows the Arab to Paris, where he is accosted by bigoted Frenchmen at Notre Dame, he then battles three musketeers, eventually being subdued when one hits him from the back with a barrel of wine.
Shiro is then imprisoned in Bastille. He is released under the care of a Spanish Ambassador, Don Miguel Ratera Aguilar Y Aragon who plans on using him to assassinate Louis XIV in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
. There he learnes that Yoshiko has been bought by Louis XIV, which causes him to no longer want to complete the assassination and just leave, unfortunately Louis and the musketeers don't know that and a battle ensues. Don Miguel tries to kill Shiro after learning he will not complete the assassination, during the battle Shiro is knocked unconscious and Don Miguel leaves with Yoshiko for Spain. The last comic ends with Shiro riding from Versailles on a horse that was given to him by the musketeers.
Publication
The story spans at least three 5-issue miniseries, the first of which appeared in 20052005 in comics
- January :* January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.-April:*April 13:**DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 A.D. titles....
and was collected as a trade paperback
Trade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
a year later:
- Samurai: Heaven and Earth (with Ron MarzRon MarzRon Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Marvel vs DC, Batman/Aliens and Witchblade.-Career:...
and Luke Ross, Dark HorseDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, 144 pages, 20062006 in comics-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
ISBN 1-59307-388-7)
It included a rare prelude for the first time in color and art done by other artists, along with the 5 issues.
The second miniseries began in December of 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
and ended in mid 2007. The trade paperback was published late in 2007.
In late July 2007, Darkhorse started its Myspace Darkhorse Presents Online Comic. The first issue contained a short Samurai: H&E comic, which takes place betweenn issues 2 and 3 of Volume 1.
The third miniseries has yet to begin at this point.
China invading Japan
In the story a ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
army invades Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and attacks a Japanese Shogunate. China never attacked Japan in 1704. The Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
were still in power, if China had done such a thing the Shogun would have taken such an attack as an act of war.