The Assassin's Creed expanded universe is growing a little bit bigger this week thanks to the release of a new manga called Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun. The first volume of the AC Chronicles: China-themed adventure gives readers a chance to get to know the titular assassin a bit better as she returns to her homeland to hunt down the Eight Tigers and begin exacting her revenge and spilling Templar blood.
The manga releases today and is just the first volume in a new series that will follow Shao Jun throughout her quest for vengeance. The manga takes place in 1526 AD, just as Shao Jun has finished her training with the Brotherhood and returned home as the sole remaining assassin in China. Gamers who played through Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China will find the beginning of the story very familiar. Rather than exploring a brand new adventure, the manga seems to be taking the adaptation approach and just building on the existing story and characters that were presented in the spin-off game.
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The first volume of Blade of Shao Jun, which is written and drawn by Minoji Kurata, does a nice job setting up the primary conflict and introducing readers to the key heroes and villains. As Shao Jun sets out to find the mysterious box that was stolen from her and kill as many of the remaining Eight Tigers as possible, readers get a chance to see some of the game's brutal stealth combat make its way onto the page. From leaps of faith to hidden blades, there are plenty of fan service Easter Egg moments to make franchise loyalists smile and nod throughout the book. Fans who are hoping for tons of flashbacks to training montages with Ezio may have to hold their breath for future installments, as this first one sticks pretty much to the main conflict in 1526 China.
Without getting too far into spoilers, the first volume also ends on a pretty exciting cliffhanger that sets up a clear early conflict for Shao Jun to struggle with in the opening pages of volume two. There is still plenty of work for the lone assassin to complete as this volume comes to an end, so readers shouldn't head into it expecting a clear resolution and conclusion. Volume two is expected to release later this year.
Overall, the comic is definitely best suited for fans of the franchise who either enjoyed Chronicles: China and want to revisit those characters or fans who skipped that particular spin-off, but enjoy the Assassin's Creed lore enough that they would like to learn more about how the Templar/Brotherhood battle spilled over into this part of the world. The book is a quick read and enjoyable, but likely isn't going to hold the attention of many readers who aren't already invested in the Assassin's Creed universe and lore. There are lots of video game comic book and manga spin-offs out there and, although this one is very serviceable for fans of the franchise, it's unlikely to stand very well on its own for the un-invested.
Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun is available now at comic book stores and other book distributors.
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