Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Wang Du Lu (Author), Andy Seto (Author)

Book Description

Series: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Publication Date: April 4, 2005

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a beautiful story filled to the brim with fast paced action, well-developed characters, trials of loyalty, deception, ambition and intrigue. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of Ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon takes the reader on an exciting allegory of epic proportions. Rejoin warriors Shu Lien and the legendary Li Mu Bai as they fight the love they feel for each other as well as many highly skilled and elaborate kung fu masters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The film version of Du Lu's novel achieved international fame. Now, the first installment of the epic martial arts tale comes to the comic world. Adapted from the novel, Seto's version features Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien, and establishes a full cast of characters. The story opens on a Beijing rooftop; masked thieves are on the run from the mighty warrior Golden Sword, who has sworn to avenge his father's death. The murderer? Grand Yu, another martial arts master-and Yu Shu Lien's father. Lingering on Golden Sword just long enough to establish that he's a dangerous man on a mission, the action then moves to Shu Lien and her father, as they set out on a cultural excursion. Naturally, Golden Sword's gang appears, intent on revenge, but Shu Lien's mighty fighting moves disperse them. Finally, readers meet Li Mu Bai, a gentle hero who spends time sitting on a rock in the middle of a river, using his mind to direct its flow. Of course, he and Shu Lien are a perfect match, but after an introductory friendly fight, readers learn Shu Lien is betrothed to another. As part one ends, Golden Sword's gang rushes off to perhaps their next battle. Seto's challenge is conveying the speed and motion of the martial arts; while the pages crackle with energy, specifics of fighting technique are simply impossible to discern from still images. Still, lines like "Golden Spear's footwork is of a violent robust type" help, and Seto's art is so glorious, readers will scarcely notice that almost nothing happens for the entire book.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. This is the first in a comic book series adaptation of the Crane-Iron Pentalogy wuxia novels by Wang Du Lu, part four of which was used as the basis for Ang Lee's Oscar-winning movie. Now ComicsOne brings readers more of Du Lu's story, introducing a cast of new, well-developed characters and presenting events leading up to and beyond the brilliant tale told on screen. Seto's artistic style echoes traditional Chinese illustration while elegantly capturing the fluid movements of the martial artists. The colors are vivid and accentuate Seto's painstaking attention to detail, allowing both the art and the dialogue to move the story forward. Pacing is excellent; the action moves quickly and leaves the reader ready for more. Recommend this to fans of the film, who will enjoy the additional story material, and to teens fascinated by the "wandering hero" archetype. Cathy Buskar
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: ComicsOne (April 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588999998
• ISBN-13: 978-1588999993
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful artwork and an interesting story, January 11, 2003

By 

Micah Ely (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Contrary to what most people seem to think, this comic is not based on the movie of the same name. The movie was based on the fourth in a series of five novels by Wang Du Lu. The comic begins with by adapting book three and, if I've heard correctly, will adapt all the way through book five.
Anyway, the comic itself is definitely a sight to behold. There is so much detail and the art is so fluid and the colors are so vivid it just demands a second read to take everything in. The story is very interesting, beginning with two thieves attempting to steal the Green Destiny (a sword with great power) which of course results in some truly beautiful fight sequences. The pacing is perfect. It never seems rushed or too slow. Once you sit down and start reading, you won't stop until it's finished. And that leads me to my only complaint: it's too short, especially for the price. Though it is a very entertaining read and the production values seem to be pretty high (it is in full color) the story itself is only about 80 pages long, and those 80 pages go by really fast. I finished it in only about 20 minutes, maybe less.
Overall, an excellent and entertaining graphic novel. I'm highy anticipating the next volume.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful.. Delicate work, December 27, 2002

By 

Amy Moritaka "makotodx1" (Alabama) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Beautiful.. Delicate work...

In what I hope is going to be a long run of books, Andy Seto takes Wang Du Lu's classic martial arts series "The Iron/Crane Pentalogy" and transfers them into some beautiful Chinese manga.

If you ever wondered what happened before and after the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" this will be the series to watch.

Up until now Wang Du Lu's books have never been translated into English. Seto does an excellent job with the translation and captures the look, romance and spirit of the film with his outstanding delicate art.

This is a MUST buy for anyone who loved Crouching Tiger and would like to know more about the characters and story.

Excellent read. Flawless art.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If only I could give a zero, August 13, 2004

By 

Thu Duong (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

The translation was melodramatic at best. The cultural note stating that an ancient chinese coin was worth about $1.40 was painful. My question was: "Is that in Ancient American Dollars?"
The artwork was good, but could not compensate for the piss poor narration and atrocious dialogue. I did not find the action to be particularly imaginative.