Lai Wan #2

Title: Lai Wan
Issue: #2
Date: 2006
Publisher: Moonstone Books
Writer: C.J. Henderson
Art: Kieran Yanner
Colorist: Thompson Knox
Letterer: Nate Pride
Editor: Lori G
Cover: Kieran Yanner

The second issue's story, "A Happy Mother Takes Away Pain", is in many ways a more interesting introduction to the character of Lai Wan than the first issue was. This story stands alone nicely, and tells of a plain-looking middle-aged woman who seeks psychic Lai Wan's help for her mother's mysterious affliction.

The affliction, as it turns out, is demonic possession. The problem is that Lai Wan isn't in the business of fighting demons. She just gives the daughter the chance to fight the battle for herself. Not everything is as it appears, and the plot twists are fun, but what I really enjoyed here was the depiction of a very ordinary person finding the courage to fight a very extraordinary battle.

Kieran Yanner, who painted the cover for the first issue, handles all the art here, and his work is appropriately eerie and disturbing, especially his demon (a djinn, actually, for those wishing to be technical).

Lai Wan continues to be a fascinating character, and she really shines in this clever and disturbing tale.

Rating: 8/10

Photo is from today at TempleCon, with writer C.J. Henderson holding up Lai Wan #2 as well as his Lai Wan prose anthology. This is my last of 3 reviews of books purchased at TempleCon. We had a great time at the convention. Our next con appearance is in only two weeks at Queen City kamikaze in Manchester NH.

Lai Wan #1

Title: Lai Wan
Issue: #1
Date: 2006
Publisher: Moonstone Books
Writer: C.J. Henderson
Penciler: Shawn McGuan
Inker: Chad Hunt
Colorist: Thompson Knox
Letterer: Chuck Maly
Editor: Lori G
Cover: Kieran Yanner


With a serial killer on the loose in New York, and the police at a loss to figure out the link between the seemingly random victims, NYPD Capain Beldon receives an offer of assistance from "Spooky Mary" AKA Lai Wan (AKA several other names, depending on what NYC neighborhood she's hanging out in, apparently). Lai Wan is a psychometrist, gifted (and cursed) with the ability to read the history of a thing or the thoughts of a person with a touch. But even her abilities lead to further riddles, and the last thoughts of the victims point to a shadowy warrior dressed in armor.

The solution to the mystery and the resolution both come a bit quickly and arbitrarily, and Lai Wan's personality takes a bit of warming up to. She comes off as rather arrogant at first, although that softens a bit as the story progresses. There's a good hardboiled and gritty feel to the narration, and a couple of interesting subplots, once involving Captain Beldon's past and the other providing the reason that Lai Wan gets involved in the case.

The text feature at the end of the book discusses the creation of the Lai Wan, who began as a supporting character in C.J. Henderson's Theodore London prose detective stories. From there, she began to appear in her own solo stories and has now made the transition into comics.

Lai Wan herself is a refreshing change in a lot of ways, as a character who doesn't fight on a physical level (as is pointed out in the essay at the end of the book, Lai Wan would actually have some extreme difficulties even touching a weapon of any kind), but is still presented as exceptionally strong and confident.

Lai Wan has some great potential, even if this particular introduction felt rushed.

Rating: 6.5/10

This is my second purchase at TempleCon. I picked up this book along with the second issue in the same series from writer CJ Henderson. I also bought the Sky Pirates of Valendor anthology, Valendor Chronicles #1 from the Jolly Rogue Studios team and that was my review for last night. I'll be reviewing the second issue of Lai Wan tomorrow.