Liling-Po

(Tokyopop, 2005)
™ and © 1997 Ako Yutenji
Reads right to left; b&w

Notorious master thief Liling Po has finally been captured by the government but is given an It Takes a Thief-style shot at winning his freedom by helping the stoic officers Bu-cho and Mei-toku find the eight magical treasures that, when brought together, can grant wishes. It’s hard to imagine why Tokyopop would classify this one in the “action” genre, since almost nothing happens in Vol. 1. Not that there’s much room, given the claustrophobic working conditions the characters have to endure. Page after page is stuffed with a series of stunted, interlocking panels, filled to overflowing with equally small word balloons. Not that the art isn’t attractive; Ako Yutenji’s figure work is elegant and assured, and the fanciful feudal Asian setting is handsomely mounted. But, sadly, both go to waste because there isn’t anybody on stage. All of the characters, from our crook to his captors, are equally bland, their feelings barely perceptible beyond contempt and annoyance. This one clearly has all the elements of a rousing high adventure; it just never gets going.

— S.A. Bennett

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