Sword Master #3 is published by Marvel Comics. Its split into two stories. Part one, The Ancient War, is written by Shuizhu with art by Gunji and adapted by Greg Pak. Part two, Sword Master & Shang-Chi: Master Class, is written by Greg Pak with art by Ario Anindito and colors by Rachelle Rosenberg.
I am just loving this series. It makes me feel like I’m watching an anime and then reading the sequel comic series – which is basically what’s happening anyway since The Ancient War is the story of how Sword Master came to be and Sword Master & Shang-Chi: Master Class takes place after the events of War of the Realms (which was a pretty cool event and you should check it out if you haven’t).
There’s so much to appreciate here for anime and comic fans alike. I mean, for example, Ji Shuangshuang basically has a Saiyan Scouter. But it’s for hunting demons. But as soon as you look at it, you’re like “that’s a Saiyan Scouter”. Stuff like that just makes me so happy for some reason.
At this point in The Ancient War, we know that the sword is special, that Lin Lie has been chosen, and somehow the sword is connected to his father going missing. What we don’t know is why. Why is it special? Why was he chosen? Why did his father disappear and where has he gone?
Luckily, in this issue, questions begin to get answers. We are thrown with Lie into a flashback showing him the death and devastation caused centuries ago by the God of War, Chiyou, before he was defeated by the Yellow Emperor during the battle Battle of Zhuolu. The best part about this? This is based off of actual Chinese mythology during the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors era. It’s truly fascinating stuff, you should definitely look in to it if you’re a history/mythology buff.
Meanwhile, in Sword Master & Shang-Chi: Master Class, Lie’s sword has been stolen by Ares, the Greek God of War. Unable to defeat Ares, Shang-Chi promptly calls him out and basically calls him inferior to Chiyou, which is hilarious. While Ares may be a God, as with all things involving a chosen one, the sword is nothing more than a nice sword in the hands of anyone other than the Sword Master a.k.a. Lin Lie.
What I like most about the Shang-Chi/Lin Lie storyline is that we see just how much of a kid Lie still is. Yes, time has passed and he has taken on his role as Sword Master, but he still has a lot to learn and he is not even close to the skill level of Shang-Chi. They have a really good dynamic between the two and I just love how much Chinese history is being used as such a pivotal part of the plots.
I’m really enjoying these two parallel stories and how they differ depending on the apparent medium. I mean, it’s a comic, but this series is also being used as a way for Marvel to reach a more diverse reader group and introduce more people to the world of comics, which is an idea that I support 100%. Seriously, these two creative teams have been doing a great job with this task and I can’t wait to see what more will be in store for this series and the others Marvel is doing this sort of expansion with.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 / 10
Make sure to pick up a copy of Sword Master #3 from your local comic shop, and Marvel’s online store.
Happy reading!
