Lin Lie has inherited the mystical sword of Fu Xi and must figure out how to use this new weapon. He was searching for his father, but suddenly his brother who disappeared has suddenly returned! Figure out this mystery in Sword Master #10 by Marvel!
SWORD MASTER #10
Writer: Shuizhu
Artist: Gunji
Colorist: Gunji
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 2nd, 2020
Previously in Sword Master: Millennia ago, three tribes used sacred weapons to destroy the God of War. They buried his remains in three separate tombs guarded by the tribes. Lin Lie is a descendant of Fu Xi and heir to their tribe’s weapon. He now travels to the Nu-Wa tribe with Ji Shuangshuang and Cheng to try and get some answers. Answers about his sword, his power, and his family.
A MAN AGAINST AN ARMY
The issue starts with Shuangshuang and Lie explaining to Cheng what is going on but they come across a huge storm. Unfortunately, the purplish storm is actually a horde of demons attacking the Nu-Wa tribe! And the tribe is losing the fight! Cheng uses his van to run over as many of the demons as possible while the rest help fight the horde. They rally behind the mythical sword but ultimately Lie doesn’t know how to use it. The tribe is continued to be overwhelmed by the forces but luckily, the Chief of the tribe comes in to fight back the demon army single handedly.
OH MAN…
I have not been following the series but I have always had an issue on how Chinese figures are portrayed in the media. Often they fall into a trap of portraying them as weird, martial art masters, or some mystical figure in the distance. Often, we don’t get depth of characters beyond those tropes. So I haven’t wanted to pick this up because it felt like it was going to fall into that category to me. And it did. The Chief is a person with a chi punch, Cheng looks one dimensional in this issue, and I can’t really get a good read on Lin Lie or Shuangshuang. Marvel has been doing some great things with Asian and Asian-American characters recently but this particular issue doesn’t feel great. I admit though that I might have just jumped on at the wrong time.
BOTTOM LINE: JUST A LITTLE TROPEY
I want more literature and media that has better representation of Asian characters. In my own writing and game design I have been working on better presentation of these cultures and to see this story feels like a step backwards. I’m hoping it is just this particular issue that made me feel this way and perhaps the rest of the story arc is better. 3 out of 5 for Sword Master #10.
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Sword Master #10
Sword Master heads to the Nu-Wa Tribe to try and understand the sword of Fu Xi!
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Art7
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Coloring7
Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com