One
of the first Hong Kong films that totally blew me
away was Andrew Lau's, STORMRIDERS. When I saw it
a few years ago, DRAGONBALL Z was literally surging
in America. I stumbled upon a site called Otaku Television
that reviewed video games, model kits, anime, and
Asian movies. However, this was not your typical site,
it was actually a show that aired on public access,
and was available to download over the net. Watching
one of the episodes, the trailer for STORMRIDERS caught
my eye! It showed a clip of Sonny Chiba, and everything
about him, just oozed pure cool. He was flying through
the air and executing energy blasts like a seasoned
anime character. Shortly after this I typed in a search
for a review of the movie and I was brought to KFC
Cinema by fate, and followed the link to their online
supplier. After buying and enjoying the movie very
much, I couldn't help but notice it was based on a
comic book. The next few years I searched for translations,
but to no success. That was until a few summers ago.
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When
Comicsone, a small upstart manga company began translating
and releasing STORMRIDERS in America, my prayers were
answered. Now they are up to Volume 11 with more on
the way, and I am definitely riding the storm till
the end. Everything about this comic is just so awesome,
and makes the storyline of the movie look very cluttered.
STORMRIDERS
or FUNGWAN as it is called in China was created by
Ma Wing Shing. He founded Jonevsky Publishing in 1989
and FUNGWAN was his first comic under that banner.
A combination of Ma's artistic genius and his well
crafted storytelling pulled readers in quickly and
made the comic the hit it is today.
For
those of you not familiar with the STORMRIDERS, a
synopsis is in order. I shall quench your thirst.
Basically,
this really powerful martial artist, (who is such
a bad ass, he takes up the name Conqueror) reigns
supreme over the Circle of Fighters. The Circle of
Fighters exists in Ancient China, and is separate
from the Emperor. Conqueror's Clan (sometimes referred
to as Conqueror’s Clan, Stormriders Clan, World
Fighting Association, World Clan, etc.) decides to
get his fortune told by Mud Buddha. Mud Buddha has
a gift of seeing the future, but each time he does,
he is punished by the gods in the form of large poisonous
boils on his skin. He tells Conqueror, "The fish
with the golden-scales will become a dragon, when
Wind and Cloud emerge." This basically means
that Conqueror will reign supreme when he finds and
takes on two disciples named Wind and Cloud. This
is the prophecy for only the first half of his life
however, as Mud Buddha has sealed the second half
in a puzzle box. The box will take at least half a
life time to open. Conqueror seeks out the two main
characters of this story at this point, and through
a chain of events the two boys fall into his grasp.
That
is basically the start of the STORMRIDERS comic. After
this happens, the story really picks up and many things
begin to develop. A love rectangle emerges, old enemies
come out of the woodwork, friends are betrayed, new
friends emerge, etc. What sounds like a soap opera
is really quite breathtaking, thanks to Ma Wing Shing's
awesome style; with godly swords, swirling energy
waves, and just awesome kung fu action.
Currently
in Hong Kong, STORMRIDERS is on its third series and
still going strong with two issues a month. If you
are looking for a good series to read, I strongly
recommend this book. However, do not let anyone spoil
this for you, no matter how far ahead it is. Take
it from me as this book is worth going into fresh.
What I’ve told you so far is just the tip of
the iceberg.
STORMRIDERS
Volume 12 is due out in September from Comicsone,
but the big news is STORMRIDERS: INVADING SUN. Comicsone
is restarting the numbering and has added the INVADING
SUN subtitle to the book. The first issue of STORMRIDERS:
INVADING SUN is a good place to jump on for new readers
as it concludes the first major arc of the series
and continues into a new story arc. It is really STORMRIDERS
Volume 13, so don’t worry about missing any
issues if you have been with the comic all along.
STORMRIDERS: INVADING SUN will ship in December. Don’t
miss on one of the best kept secrets in comics.
If
you are looking to sample some issues, go to the Comicsone
site and download their free sample chapters and see
if you like it. At the bottom of this article I have
linked the official American site and also the Hong
Kong site.
COMICSONE
http://www.comicsone.com/
COMICS WORLD
http://www.comicsworld.com/
Jason
Aiken
08/23/2003
