Sam Noir Samurai Detective

On the third floor of a cluttered low-rent office, Sam Noir met his destiny. Destiny wore a dress, and she was the best thing to walk into Sam's life... right up until they snuffed her out, that is. They nixed his betty, and now he's gonna nix them. Once he finds out who "they" are.

VOYA

A mix between a ronin samurai and a Raymond Chandler character, Sam Noir is a peculiar guy in this stylized graphic novel. He is a private detective paid to watch a dame named Jasmine. For months he watches her, and then late one night, she comes to him for help. Before he can discover what she needs, she is killed by ninjas. Thus begins Sam's rampage for revenge. He follows clues to Jasmine's uncle, then to a woman who hated the uncle, and finally back to the uncle again. He is helped along the way by a former pirate, Edmund Grog. What a conundrum. The graphic novel is snazzy and filled with gritty noir-speak from a Phillip Marlowe story, but it has samurai, pirates, and ninjas. The writing is mimicry of the private dick novels from long ago, but the story line is unique. A samurai bent on revenge has been portrayed in many different manga series, but this one adds a new piece. Readers will find the spectacular artwork keeps the noir atmosphere throughout. There is no light moment in the art or story. The artwork is all black, white, and contrasting grays with overlapping panels and blocky character designs. Violence is on almost every page as Sam hacks his way through various thugs and would-be adversaries. Older teens who enjoy crime drama stories will enjoy this new series and should also check out the Hawaiian Dick comics by B. Clay Moore and Steven Griffin (Image Comics). Reviewer: Kristin Fletcher-Spear