▪	RELEASED BY:		DARK HORSE
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		PARK JONG-KI
		▪	FORMAT:		WESTERN / BW
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		OT
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		01/17/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		07/18/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SCOTT CAMPBELL

Shaman Warrior is a very well drawn action/fantasy manga (or actually “manhwa” because it is Korean, not Japanese) with a dramatic and kinetic style that should appeal to fans of other works like Blade of the Immortal, Lone Wolf and Cub, as well as many other stories that relate to swordsmen and their trials. Master wizard Yarong and his faithful servant Batu are sent to remote desert wastelands on a grave mission from their king. These two mysterious warriors have yet to realize that a whirlwind of political movements and secret plots will soon engulf them and change their lives forever. When Yarong is mortally injured, Batu must fulfill his promise to leave Yarong’s side and protect his master’s child. As Batu seeks to find and hide the infant, Yarong reveals another secret to those who have tracked him down to finish him off – he himself is a deadly Shaman Warrior. Like anything or anyone that is “different” than the rest, Shamans are hunted. Yarong’s daughter may be young, but she too will be hunted by his enemies, so it is Batu’s purpose to protect her.

The art in Shaman Warrior can really be called art. The concept of art and what is artistic will differ in opinion from one person to the next, but most people should be able to look at the pages of Shaman Warrior and instantly think that this work is exquisitely drawn. Each page must have taken forever, as the characters, backgrounds, and everything else are all drawn in the utmost detail. Art quite like this is far and few between in the manga/manwha world – it’s unique and worth mentioning. Something that really helps showcase the art is the size of the books. Each book in this series is sizably larger than the usual industry standard for manga like a Viz book, or a Tokyo Pop book. Having the books be of a larger size means the art will in turn be a larger size. With larger art comes the potential to see more detail in what you are reading, so Shaman Warrior does well to be presented in this format. Each panel is of a pretty good size also – rather than trying to stick 10 panels on a page, the artist does 5 instead, so you can see a lot more and not feel overwhelmed by having to deal with too much detail in too small of a place. It’s hard to verbalize exactly, but the look and feel in this series could perhaps be described as “refreshingly clean.” It’s just so enjoyable to look at – you have to read it yourself to get the full effect and see the difference this kind of formatting makes. Text is easy to read too, and manhwa reads left to right just like English books, so it’s a good introduction for anyone not used to reading manga in a right to left format.

The story itself is good, but the action is relentless. What Shaman Warrior lacks in a constantly deep and intelligent plotline, it more than makes up for with heaps of sword fights, martial arts, and plenty of speed lines. Fights are fast and furious, and seemingly well thought out because the visuals really express the movements and results of hits with great accuracy. The times where this work takes a moment to slow down and do some explanation of events is just as enjoyable though. No lack of effort arises when it’s time to portray a social situation or conversation of importance between characters. The art never lets up for a moment, and the plot unfolds at a pace that allows for the reader to continue being interested because it never gives everything away. That’s a good mix, and a good motivation to read the volumes that will follow.

IN SUMMARY:
If you’ve enjoyed other series that deal with action/fantasy in a semi-realistic historical fiction setting, do yourself a favor and check this one out. It’s a hidden gem that many people may not have heard about, but it commands attention for everything that is so positive and unique about it.