Ruule: Ganglords of Chinatown

(Beckett, 2003-2005)
™ and © Beckett Comics

At first glance, this series looks like a typical action-adventure revenge story loaded with motorcycle gangs, martial arts, and lots of violence. On deeper inspection, it’s clear that Ivan Brandon has a lot more to say.

The story is set in San Francisco’s Chinatown in a future in which biker gangs have taken over the area and rule as deities, holding the people of the neighborhood in fear of their lives. But, when a strange broadcast message is heard, one man, Gid, believes that it is his responsibility to unite the people and overthrow these false leaders to take back the neighborhood. The real difficulty does not lie in Gid’s uniting the people and ridding the neighborhood of the evil; it lies within his being able to avoid being overwhelmed by the power and becoming the next great evil.

Mike Hawthorne’s manga–inspired art is nice; his facial expressions and pacing are top–notch. A bonus of the overall package is the fact that David Mack has provided covers for all five issues.

— Ian M. Feller

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