Katana, aka Tatsu Yamashiro, is a pretty enigmatic character. Never quite a hero, yet not really an anti-hero either, most of her appearances in comic books these days is as a member of the Suicide Squad. So when I found there was an entire solo novel for her, I thought it would be a good chance to find out more.
‘Soultaker’ tells the story of Katana as she heads over to San Francisco to locate a girl called ‘Shun’ who supposedly has the history of the clans, warring for control of Japantown, all over her body. Along the way, Katana also struggles to control her sword, which contains the spirits of everyone it has killed, including her dead husband Maseo. Eventually, the sword breaks releasing all the spirits, including the spirit of the Creeper. This leads to Katana attempting to reclaim all the spirits that once resided in the sword.
The novel portrays Tatsu really well and we get a proper feel for her character. It’s quite a long novel with a constantly changing story, which again allows the reader to understand the complexities of the character. I liked the fact that it focused solely on her personal journey and didn’t make very much effort to bring in other characters from the Suicide Squad.
The artwork was quite appropriate for the character and the story, even though I wasn’t a massive fan of it. The covers, however, were all pretty decent, the one I picked above being a clear favourite. Overall it was a long novel but a fairly interesting one!
Favourite Panel:
I mean that's deep.
Favourite Character:
Easily Katana. Although there are many other interesting characters, Katana’s complexity is what I really enjoyed.
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★★
Artwork: ★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★
Re-readability: ★★
Level: Beginner