King of Fighters 2003 Vol.2
Reviewed by Kat Avila - Sequential Tart
Publisher : DrMaster Publications, Inc.
Credits
ISBN: 1-58899-030-3
Writer: Wing Yan, King Tung
Cover Artist: Ying-Hsiang Lin
Other Creators: Ying-Hsiang Lin
Grade: 7
"You are a fighter, and without fighting, your life has no meaning."— Master Chin Gen Tsai to K'
The hero team for The King of Fighters 2003 saga is stylish Ash Crimson, brawler Shen Woo, and elegant assassin Duo Lon. Vol. 2 finishes the fight between Ash and Hong Kong criminal boss Ryuji Yamazaki in front of a Hong Kong convention center where tickets for the popular King of Fighters (KOF) tournament are being sold. Green flames dance from Ash's hands, while serpent-like extensions whip about from Ryuji's elbows.
Meanwhile, spoiled missy Rose plots with her big brother Adelheid. They have inherited resources from NESTS to secretly sponsor the KOF tournament in order to bait adversaries Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, and K'.
Other fighters are crawling out of the woodwork. Who's the fearsome demon with the glowing eyes?
One irritating practice in this issue is enclosing sound effects in balloons. The bottom left panel on page 7 is ruined by foot-blast "BOOM!" sound effects placed in balloons instead of integrated with the background. It's a powerful composition (nice how the line of Adelheid's spine is continued down the length of his outstretched right leg) that ended up looking "comic" because of the ugly egg-shaped balloons. This practice is noticeably repeated later with even more ludicrous RED balloons, e.g., on page 118, the individual knocks of a servant rapping on the sliding doors to Lady Chizuru Kagura's room.
That aside, I admire how well Chinese artists capture action sequences. I strongly feel the acrobatics, speed, and stamina of the characters during their fights. A combination of speed lines, bursts and flares, blur filters, dramatic shifts in proximity to the action, and same-frame slow motion sequences are utilized, and, of course, the creative identification of specialty attacks. There is an incredible presentation of all these techniques on pages 70-71 as Leona unexpectedly challenges Whip in a passionate Ikari Team tryout match between serious girl fighters.
This comic series is best enjoyed by The King of Fighters fighting game series players, martial arts aficionados, and artists who enjoy drawing action or are learning how to draw action comics. I'm starting to warm up to this series myself because of the art.
Written: November 16, 2005
Published: December 1, 2005
