Fist Lawby Wolfen MoonsgetReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Tyler is a former Seal, and a former "Spook" for the CIA. Now he's a private investigator. He's also a master in the martial art of Kenpo. When his former partner, Freddie — now calling himself Lohan — steals the "Seven Bamboo Tablets of the Cloudy Satchel", it's up to Tyler to ge them back.Well, I must say I'm of mixed feelings on this one. I will say it turned out to be much better than I thought it would! The strongest thing it has going for it is that it's a labour of love; writer/artist Jeff Palmer created it in order to carry on the teachings of his late Kenpo instructor, Edmund Lealoha Parker. Instead of being "just another kung-fu story", this book also serves to demonstrate various Kenpo moves, step by step, as well as illustrate their uses. The art needs a lot of polish (Palmer is the first to admit this.) Where the art suffers most is in his efforts to show too much detail, making the work a bit awkward and stiff. He knows his muscles, but seems to have a little trouble with bodily perspective. Any animator will tell you that simplicity in form lends itself better to believability than detail does. But, all that being said, I also see a lot of potential in his artistic work. And his page layouts are strong. A lot of artists these days seem to go overboard in crosshatching, while Palmer's lines are refreshingly clean, making it much easier to read the action. As for the writing, I will go as far to say that the word-craft itself is decent. Parker's dialogue is fluid, not stilted or overly bombastic (well, it has to be a little in this genre, doesn't it? Nature of the beast and all.) The characters are fairly engaging. In fact, I could easily see this as an action film of the Steven Seagal bent; I truly believe Parker could sell this as a script. But that doesn't mean I really like the story. It's far too full of machismo for me, too violent, and too full of the stereotypical martial arts plot points. But that's just me; I'm sure that actual fans of the genre would find it appealing. Over-all, I have to say that I appreciate the amount of work Palmer put into it, and admire his dedication. Written: January 25, 2004
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