Fighting with destiny – review of the comic book “The Mask of Fudo”

Saverio Tenuta created a story set in Japanese climates – The Legend of Scarlet Clouds . In The Mask, Fudo returns to this world. Can the story of a man hiding his face behind a mask be original, fascinating and engaging?

 

Prequel Legends of the Scarlet Clouds

The story depicted in the Mask of Fudotakes place on two planes. On the one hand, we observe the actions of an adult Shinnosuke, and on the other, we learn about the stories of his youth. It is on this second aspect that the greatest emphasis was placed. So it begins innocently – Master Fudo and his companions arrive at the bathhouse and in the hot spring vapors we go back to the most important event of his youth. Here one day a young Shinnosuke found a mask in an abandoned village. He took it with him, which turned out to be significant. Thanks to her, he found the courage to stand up for his sister. It is worth emphasizing that the protagonist, as Hinin, is at the lowest rung of the social ladder. Therefore, this act of courage ultimately caused him trouble. As a result, he had to grow up, learn to fight, all in order to finally follow the path of revenge.

The entire volume consists of four chapters. A lot is happening on the individual pages. We are dealing with a complex, engaging and extremely engaging story. In the last book, a myth appeared depicting the fate of the God-leech Hiruko. This world immediately seemed even richer and more interesting to me. The interweaving of stories telling about the birth of gods significantly expands this intriguing universe.

Master Fudo or Shinnosuke

The plot of the Fudo Mask is a solid script for me. It is true that I have not read the original so far. Nevertheless, at the end of the Fudo Mask , I felt a great desire to buy the Legend of the Scarlet Clouds right away.to learn about Master Fudo’s fate. All this because despite the great script, it was the characters that made the greatest impression on me. The main character, like in a Greek drama, actually struggles with Fate. He is completely unaware that he is a pawn in the big game, and all his actions ultimately lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy. Strong emotions torment him, and he fights with himself as if two people were locked in one body – Master Fudo and Shinnosuke. A tragic character, very intriguing, long-lasting. In my opinion, it is a perfect creation. My only comment is on Master Fudo’s reckless decision later in the comic. I guess it was pure foolishness for him to take such destructive actions before the reconnaissance. Let’s add his mother, the priestess of God-Leechs! Theoretically, not much can be said about Shinnosuke’s three companions, because they live in the shadow of their master, but on the other hand, we get to know their passions, weaknesses, and we observe how they change over the years. Even an inconspicuous old man brings a lot to the whole comic, because it tells an interesting legend about a man who – in order to deceive the princess – put on a mask given to him by a Tengu.

Bloody slaughter

The Fudo Mask is an incredibly beautiful comic. Each frame is truly wonderful. The draftsman takes care of every detail. Scenes during a downpour look great. You just see and feel the moisture. The characters’ faces were also skillfully drawn, especially the face of Shinnosuke, where you can clearly see what emotions are tormenting him (especially the wild, mad rage that he carries in his heart). On the one hand, the title mask seems inconspicuous, and yet it evokes respect, and can even scare. I have no major objections to the release either. Lost in Time is a sure guarantee of quality. At the end, there are additions in the form of illustrations and sketches.

Is it worth wearing a Fudo mask?

After reading The Mask of Fudo, I am eager to reach for the Legend of the scarlet clouds , which I have not had the opportunity to learn yet. I was so intrigued by the figure of Master Fudo that I want to find out how his fate unfolded. Of course, this comic book as a standalone story is also defending itself as much as possible, it is a fully closed story, although it leaves a certain dissatisfaction. The Fudo mask is a great surprise for me! I did not expect that the whole story, and especially the individual characters, would make such an impression on me. After the brilliant Way of the Sword , Lost in Time re-releases an amazing, fantastic comic set in Japanese realities.