Samurai Elf (book 1): Set Apart (Paperback)

~ Miguel Guerra; Suzy Dias (Author), (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ardan is an elf, the last of his kind, who's being hunted by some bad guys named the Horde. Narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, Ardan seeks refuge at the Temple of Ithra, where he is trained in the way of the samurai by the grumpy, enigmatic master dwarf. When Horde robot ninjas attack the Temple, Ardan runs away, teams up with a sympathetic innkeeper's daughter and sets off to find his destiny. For a fannish mishmash of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and kung fu movies, this graphic novel feels oddly inert. Guerra's art is carefully rendered, resulting in a clean line and showing a nice command of gray scale and shadow. But he seems more comfortable in the realm of still life and concept art than dynamic motion: his slavish rendering of action scenes robs them of some necessary chaos and life. (Also, a choice to render word balloons as semitransparent is odd and distracting.) Guerra and Dias have clearly taken great pains to develop an alien world, but those pains weigh down the story with exposition exactly when the pedal ought to be pressing to the floor. Guerra and Dias should loosen up and enjoy the playfulness of their premise. (Aug.)
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Review

Samurai Elf Volume 1 is a treat. The energy spent on its 180 pages is obvious in every frame, which was necessary. Raising a new universe from the ground requires diligence. Trust in this new everything must be gained if a reader’s going to have fun with a story, and there’s no way to do it right other than working twice as hard. In short, Miguel Guerra and Suzy Dias give the commitment essential to pulling off a tale of dizzying unlikelihood, whose protagonist is not only the last elf in the world but one of the few remaining samurai — attention to detail and undeniable charm power this story like wheels on a car.

Aardan is an orphan stranded in a strange world, faced with burning questions concerning not only his parentage but his ancestry (“What the heck is an elf?”). The hero’s woodsy home is burned and his grandparents slaughtered by evil cyborgs, but he escapes to train as a samurai, toiling to gain the skills necessary to uncover the mystery of his ancestry, and carry out his revenge.<br />

But the minions of Industria are determined, and bring the hunt to the fabled city of Naasbeth where Aardan’s found refuge. And so the elf’s odyssey continues; he teams up with a buxom sidekick and they set out to explore a wide world, chased by a host of villains including cyborg trolls, bounty hunters, and shape-shifting robots.

It’s all quite fun. Yes, yes, I know. There’s an accountant somewhere reading this and soda probably sprayed out his nose a few seconds ago. But never mind him. Pick up Samurai Elf Volume 1 and have an hour of fun with this guilty pleasure.

--Geeks of Doom

Samurai Elf is a graphic novel with a fairly conventional manga art style. Ardan is the last of the elves in his world. He was raised by a pair of humans in a remote forest. After a mysterious stranger comes to the house, Ardan discovers that his parents were samurai sworn to protect the planet Tyr from a strange army known as The Horde. Soon, the young elf is forced to go on a quest in the hopes of finding the answers to why The Horde is hunting him as well as attempting to stay alive. In the process, he meets a young human woman named Keegan Wulfston.

This volume is obviously the set-up and origin story for the series and the readers get a sense of the creatures that live on Tyr as well as the realization that Ardan’s story is far bigger than even Ardan realizes. While the art isn’t particularly innovative, the creative team clearly offer an interesting approach in a melding of traditional fantasy creatures like trolls with cybernetics, making it a novel approach to the idea of mechas. It’s fairly clear that Miguel Guerra and Suzy Dias are using computers to create the art, which gives it a very smooth, plastic look. The art isn’t a distraction and actually aids the battle scenes because it is so clear and well-defined. The lettering is easy to read, as well, which is unusual in many books with manga stylings. There are nice details present in the book and there aren’t any panels that don’t have backgrounds, which also adds to the story, because the reader doesn’t have to deal with pesky “floating heads.” This volume is published in black and white, which is a bit disappointing, as it seems to have been created in color, but doesn’t hurt the overall story because the printing is nice and clear.

It was a pleasant read, without being confusing or taxing, and it wasn’t, by any means, a bad comic. I am curious to find out what will happen to Ardan and I want to know why it seems like the majority of the populatino of Tyr wants to hunt him. This book really seems like a solid first effort from a creative team with a great deal of potential. The dialog wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t stilted, either, and it was nice to see such properly written grammatically correct English. The story flowed well and there wasn’t a sense of missing time or jumpy scene changes at all.

There are a few swear words sprinkled in the book, though they aren’t worse than a person would hear on an average night of primetime network television. There isn’t anything to suggest that this series couldn’t be read by tweens or teenagers, provided parents don’t mind the language, nor does it seem like a series that would be too juvenile for fans of quest fantasies to enjoy. I wouldn’t go so far as to say “all ages”, but it’s certainly not full of offensive material.

All in all, this book seems to be a good PG-13 action story that shows the potential, as the writers get more comfortable, to be a very good series.

--BookSpotCentral.com

Samurai Elf is a seven-volume series set in the fantastical world of Tyr, where a string of global wars have wracked the lands and sent civilization back into a simpler, feudal structure. Yet while war has ceased, peace does not reign; the whole of Tyr is now threatened by the slow expansion of The Horde – an army of hive-mind, cybernetic soldiers that are as terrifying as they are efficient. It seems there is only one thing that can possibly halt the Horde’s swathe across the continents: a teenage boy named Ardan Nassus – who just happens to be the last pureblood elf to have survived the global wars! Much like the beginning of Star Wars, Ardan loses his foster parents and is sent hurtling into an epic journey of discovery, danger, and decidedly eastern combat training in order to achieve his supposed destiny.

Illustrator/auteur Miguel Guerra along with his wife and co-conspirator Suzy Dias, has crafted a gorgeous, archetypically high-fantasy world, that’s as haunting and horrific as it is inviting and fanciful. The Horde – with their many permutations of Grunts, Hunters, Squadra, Commanders, and Gytrash – are a perfectly wicked evil empire, and flesh out a world otherwise filled with fallen civilizations, samurai dwarf sensei, Rastafarian bounty hunters, and (of course) a single, lone elf. The main character, Ardan, is properly young, oblivious, and temperamental, though poised and willing to become something far greater. This first graphic novel, Set Apart, tells the tale of his awakening, his training, and the beginning of his long, cumbersome journey.

The story is excellently paced, and moves from lighthearted to deadly severe with startling ease. Guerra has put together a fantasy world of equal parts mirth and blood-letting gore the likes of which I haven’t seen blended since Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards. When the action lets up, the book could possibly pass itself off as an all-ages read, but all thoughts of an eight-year-old getting their hands on Samurai Elf quickly go out the window when the blood and cursing and unexpected black humor come to the fore – which they do with relative frequency.

The art by Guerra is breathtakingly polished – smooth and clean and as perfectly rendered as an animated feature. His style reminded me a lot of Richard and Wendy Pini’s Elfquest, mixed with the detail-laden, tech-sensibilities of Rod Espinosa’s Neotopia or Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä. Simply put, Samurai Elf is a jaw-droppingly lavish looking book, with stunning vistas, kick-ass character designs, and perfectly rendered fight choreography (and for a book that is supposedly about a samurai – that last bit is extremely beneficial!). Guerra himself has been put through grueling martial arts training in his past, and he uses this knowledge to stunning effect in Samurai Elf, illustrating some believable and visually captivating fight sequences that set the book well apart from the pack of other martial-arts-fusion concepts littering the racks today.

Samurai Elf is a near perfect fantasy graphic novel, with all the trappings you’d expect (and want) to see, coupled with an equal number of mind-blowing original conceits. It has eye-popping art, an effortlessly enthralling story, and it all comes packaged in 180+ page installments. Comics – especially fantasy epics – do not get better than this. Everything you love about Star Wars, Final Fantasy video games, Elfquest, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is perfectly situated inside the pages of Samurai Elf. I cannot praise this book enough. It’s certainly the best fantasy graphic concept to come down the pike in years. So you’ve been warned. You have only yourself to blame if you miss this one!

--Broken Frontier

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Iberian Press; 1st edition (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977845400
• ISBN-13: 978-0977845408
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,098,767 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing!!!, October 23, 2008

By	Jacqueline Acuna "Acuña" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Samurai Elf "Set Apart" was simply wonderful! As a college student I seldom found the time for fiction. So this graphic novel (my introduction to the genre) was my first pleasure read in a long, long time. It brought me back to the good-old-days of Tolkein, Herbert and Eddings - when I would transport myself to alernate universes and become engrossed in the lives and drama of the characters I met along the way.

Miguel Guerra and Suzy Dias skillfully immerse the reader in the world of Ardan, a young boy who discovers that he is last living elf on the planet Tyr. This is a coming of age story about Ardan as well as a treatise on the effects of war and abuse of power on the rapidly changing planet. I love how the authors subtly blend many diverse legends and myths from different cultures to create a unique and rich story. This is a truly wonderful read that should be easy for anyone to appreciate and really leaves you wanting more!

P.S. - the second book is even better! I can't wait for the third one!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, February 25, 2007

By	David L. Fogel "EL Critico" (Joisey, Baby!) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Generally, I'm not a fan of sci-fi, nor have I ever been particularly drawn to the graphic novel. Hence, when I picked up Samurai Elf's first installment, Set Apart, and flipped to the first page, the last thing I expected was to get hooked. But there he was, the quintessential stranger, strolling in a shroud of mystery along page one. His enigmatic, portending entrance is akin to Clint Eastwood stiffly clanking toward a showdown with his enemies in The Outlaw Josie Wales. Of course, I had to find out who this tough-looking hombre was and what he was up to. By the beginning of page two, a deep curiosity had me shadowing the emotively-illustrated stranger as he made his way down a wooded path. By the end of page two, the enemy was already introduced as they lied in wait and watched the stranger's every move. How could I possibly not be snagged? The story kicks off like a jagged tear of lightning.

Who is the stranger seeking? None other than the story's main character, a kinetic teenager named Ardan. Ardan lives with and was raised by the Gulfports, who he has, for his whole life, known to be his grandparents. But the stranger's visit abruptly changes all that, revealing the entangled truth about what and who Ardan really is--the last living member of the planet Tyr's elven race.

Not even given time to digest the murder of practically every truth in his life, the Gulfport's rush Ardan down a secret staircase in the floor of their shanty. Once safely ensconced in the subterranean passageway, Ardan is unwilling prisoner to the sounds of the Gulfports being mercilessly slain. This sequence of events renders the story inescapable. The emotional weight of Ardan listening helplessly as the two most important people in his life are killed glues you to him, and to his sudden and tormenting plight.

After collecting some samurai effects that once belonged to his deceased parents, Arden reunites with the stranger, who transports him to The Temple of Ithra, the home of a vertically-challenged but larger-than-life samurai sage known as Master Dwarf. Master Dwarf lifts much of the fog spread across Ardan's life. As he comes to terms with who he is, who his parents were, and what his destiny is, Ardan begins a grueling regimen of samurai training dispensed by the tough, but ultimately kind-hearted Master Dwarf.

The burgeoning closeness between the two characters is reminiscent of a less hokey and far more human version of the bond shared by Daniel-san and Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid movies. Guerra and Dias are masterful in how they shape and evolve the fondness of teacher for pupil. Though it is never actually articulated, you can clearly sense the poignancy of the conflict boiling in Master Dwarf. He knows he must breed a preparedness and indomitable mettle in his student, yet he struggles with pushing Ardan too hard; he feels Ardan's pain and frustration as acutely as if it was his own.

While Master Dwarf casts Ardan in the mold of a warrior, the enemy (set to a moniker of simple ominousness--The Horde), hunt down Ardan at the Temple of Ithra. At the command of the purely sinister Commander 43, The Horde bombards the Temple of Ithra. A classic battle with heavy casualties on both sides ensues. Barely escaping with their lives, Ardan and Master Dwarf manage to find each other amidst the chaos, only to again be torn apart by an enormous explosion that fractures the Temple as much as it does teacher and pupil.

Blown down into the water below, Ardan washes up unconscious on the alluring shores of Keegan Wulfston, the hard-bitten, but keenly beautiful teenage daughter of a former samurai warrior who has taken to the quiet life of an inkeeper. Throwing Ardan over her shoulder, Keegan carries Ardan back to the inn, where she spends two weeks nursing him back to health. Once Ardan is well, Keegan's father deems it fair that he should work at the inn to cover his room and board. Ardan, guided by a deep gratitude, is only too happy to agree.

Every moment he's not hard at work is spent with Keegan. The chemistry between them sprouts to clarity almost immediately. The mutual attraction is never short of obvious, but Guerra and Dias do a tasteful job of blossoming a love that is doused in sweetness and of the puppy variety. Keegan is fearless in her demonstrations of unfeigned affection, which elicits in Ardan a palpable discomfort that is consistent with the awkwardness of a teenage boy cornered into uncharted feelings. Keegan owns a steeled, tomboyish exterior that often gives way to displays of gentle fondness. It is this strength and fondness that saves Ardan from facing his enemies alone.

On the day Ardan leaves the inn for the city of Tev Dar, where he hopes to rendezvous with Master Dwarf, Keegan goes missing. Ardan is unconcerned; he is confident Keegan can take care of herself. What he doesn't realize is that Keegan is more than capable of taking care of him, too. The daughter of a samurai, she has spent her life learning the same ancient ways of the Samurai that Master Dwarf has taught to Ardan. Playfully `surprising' him on the uncertain and dangerous path to Tev Dar, Keegan joins Ardan on his quest to find Master Dwarf and all else that lies in the lingering haze of his past.

The first volume of this promising series ends with the same type of sharp edge tension that launches it into motion. Set Apart is a story that yanks the reader along for the ride. The pace is swift, the action burning, and the plot robust. The protagonist and his allies are as likeable and easy to care about as the villains are evil and easy to hate. The illustrations capture with amazing depth and color the vacillating range of emotions that paint the fabric of each character. A good story has a hook, a journey, and a payoff. Combined with a plethora of impressively-detailed and stirring artwork, Set Apart not only meets the aforementioned criteria, it boldly redefines them. That is what truly sets this story apart.

A personal note to Mr. Guerra and Ms. Dias: I don't mean to rush you, but there are many of us eagerly anticipating Volume Two. In creating Samurai Elf, you have a created a whole new crop of fans of the graphic novel. Regardless of the genre, this is just one of those stories that stays with you and leaves you wanting for more. I hope there is more soon. I truly can't wait!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy With Real Humanity, December 20, 2006

By	Tom "Jung The Foreman" (Red Bank, NJ) - See all my reviews

Samurai Elf is a wonderful graphic novel. The first book in fantasy epic, it tells an engrossing story that captivates the reader right from the beginning, with clean, crisp artwork and immeadiately engaging characters. The plot follows Ardan, the elf of the title, hastily transported from his cloistered home into mysterious, dangerous circumstances, as he comes to learn and understand the weight of his true identity and all that it means. Ardan is a great character, in the tradition of a coming of age hero who must undergo physical and mental trials to realize his place in the world. The pacing of the book is perfect, without a word or image wasted. And the illustrations are filled with movement and attention to detail. I anxiously await the next book in the series!