Outlaws of the Marsh 1: Spirits and Bandits (Tales from China: Outlaws of the Marsh) Paperback – September 1, 2014

Outlaws of the Marsh brings to comic form one of the four great works of Chinese Literature. Also known as Water Margin, it's a story about selfishness and greed as well as the downfall of a ruling dynasty.There are many volumes to this series; since it starts a huge epic story, we're going to have a lot of story to cover and it's going to feel very rambling in the beginning. For this first volume, we are introduced to three main characters: a hunted grand marshall fleeing the wrath of usurper Qiu Gao, Jin Shi (also known as Nine Dragons for his tattoos), and Da Lu, a weak man who gives in to his indulgences.At first, their paths only cross briefly. But as the story carries on in further volumes, we will watch their lives change as they find their own battles in medieval China.Outlaws of the Marsh stays true to Chinese Manhua aesthetics. The illustrations are clean and in full color. As well, there is historical background presented and summaries before each chapter. While not as useful in the first volume, you'll definitely be glad they are there as the story gets more complicated.I've read Chinese martial arts manga for thirty years and have a soft spot in my heart for them. Of note, this title is faithful to the literature; as such, it's not about the battles or martial arts but rather about the frailty of the people and the happenings of that era.Reviewed from an ARC.

This Chinese story is quite interesting but the artwork is a little disappointing, some of it reminiscent of 1960s English comics. It concerns various characters on the run from the authorities in medieval China for various reasons and moves from one character to another, concentrating on their tale.The writing style is simple and the English is stilted and awkward, probably from the translationEnjoyable enough as a simplified version of the book, a little like the old Classics Illustrated of my youth.

Excellent graphic adaptation of "Outlaws of the Marsh" (also known as "The Water Margin"), one of the four great novels of Chinese literature. The presentation is lucid and easy to follow, with character sketches and summaries of each chapter, as well as maps showing the movement of the characters. What really shined was the clean full-color illustrations that captured nuance without being busy. Details such as Jin Shi's dragon tattoos and calligraphy on signs in the towns bring the images to life. The action translates extremely well to comic form, yet even the set piece battle between Da Lu and the monks does not overshadow the character presentation. This is a meaningful work of literature, artfully presented, and I am definitely eager to read more.ARC kindly provided by NetGalley.

Pretty much everything I know about Chinese history comes from reading the graphic novels of Wei Dong Chen. Since he recounts ancient legends the stories might not be completely faithful to history, but sometimes legends are more valuable than truth. Outlaws of the Marsh is a classic work of Chinese literature, set in the time of the Song Dynasty, which Wikipedia tells me lasted from 960 to 1279. As always, the volume begins with a description of characters and a plot summary. Those sort of spoil the fun if you read them first but they serve as a valuable way to jog your memory if you are about to read a subsequent volume and want to refresh your memory of events that occurred earlier in the story. The volume also provides handy maps that the reader track the movement of key players.Spirits and Bandits takes place in two chapters. After Jin Wang trains young Jin Shi to fight, Jin Shi gains an awesome reputation and becomes known as "The Nine Dragons," which must be the Chinese version of a superhero name. Jin Shi befriends bandits, gets drunk, and deals with a betrayal that leaves him homeless. Knowing that he has a bigger destiny, Jin Shi hopes to hook up again with Jin Wang so they can do some tag team butt kicking.The story segues to a fierce dude named Da Lu whose anger management problem sends him strolling to another village in the hope of evading the law. He finds a hideout among Buddhist priests but he finds himself ill-suited for their temperate lifestyle. The moral of the story is: karma is a bitch.Presumably other characters will be introduced in later issues and the story will eventually circle to the beginning, in which a military leader unwittingly frees 36 spirits and 72 fiends. Doh!The point of the story is likely the contrast between Da Lu, who exemplifies uncontrolled anger, and Jin Shi, who follows a moral code. Both men are fierce warriors, driven by different motives. From this reader's standpoint, it's enough that they both like to get drunk and fight. I imagine future volumes will flesh out the stories and characters, but this is a fine start.As always, the art is detailed. The faces in these books are some of the best I've seen in graphic novels. The coloring is sometimes vivid and at other times subtle. It sets the mood perfectly.

The first of a twenty volume series retelling a medieval Chinese legend. Set during the Song dynasty demons and fiends have been set free upon the world allowing chaos and lawlessness to run rampant. In this volume we are introduced to two outlaws, one who fights with honour and one without. Jin Shi is a young man who trains to become one of the greatest martial artist while Major Da Lu starts with good intentions but his drunkenness and temper bring him quickly to murder and mayhem. This is an exciting fast-paced story which I really enjoyed. It has the same format as "Three Kingdoms" starting each chapter with a map showing what area the story takes place and a summary of events to come. "Outlaws" is a different kind of story though, than the historical "Three Kingdoms", it's humorous and over-the-top in a tall-tale kind of way. This is a fun story and has that fairy tale/legend feel to it though it is very violent. The art is stylistic and very Chinese, not what we are used to seeing in Western comics of today or even manga; it is more similar to perhaps eighties cartoons. I really enjoyed this, probably better than "Three Kingdoms" and I am a great fan of Chinese tales.

great books.