Reading these in completely the wrong order, but each book makes me want to read more of the others. Violent, not one for the kids' bedtime, but delicately told and great attention to imagery. ( )

Kabuki is a series about transformation. Yes, it has beautiful art. Yes, it has great writing. And while the central theme of the narrative is transformation, what I found even more powerful is the way the art of the stories transforms from collection to collection, seeming to mirror the character’s evolution.

I have met David Mack a couple times at Comicon, and I’ve been meaning to ask him if he always intended from the beginning for the story to be about transformation and to move from standard comic style to collage. I like to think that it’s something he came up with as he went along, and the writing of the story transformed as he developed it. That the book evolved him as the story itself evolved.

On a plot level, the story begins in rather mainstream comic fashion. Kabuki is set slightly in the future, primarily in Japan. The main character, Kabuki, is one of a group of eight female assassins called The Noh who wear iconic masks and stylized costumes. They are a team managed by the government and sent out to instill fear and kill gangsters and various corporate criminals. However ... not all is as it appears. A multi-layered conspiracy ensues. Seven graphic novels complete the story.

[b:Kabuki Circle of Blood|89816|Kabuki, Vol. 1 Circle of Blood|David Mack|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349072657s/89816.jpg|1027]. Mack wrote and drew. Black & white. Has a grim, raw style. The art seems a bit underdeveloped to my eye. Has a bit of Sin City tone but more surreal. With more emphasis on emotions. The story is overall, fairly straightforward to this point.





[b:Kabuki Dreams|89813|Kabuki, Vol. 2 Dreams|David Mack|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347783408s/89813.jpg|86681]. Mack wrote and drew. Takes a huge leap forward in style and has more of the Mack signature look. Collage style begins, color is introduced. Blends pencil sketching, ink drawings, painting and even photography. This is a book of interior monologue and, as the title would lead you to believe, is trippy.







[b:Kabuki Masks of Noh|743521|Kabuki, Vol. 3 Masks of the Noh|David Mack|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347473675s/743521.jpg|729672]. Mack writes and draws some scenes, but this is primarily guest drawn. The style returns to black & white, but overall more refined, precise and graphic than Circle of Blood. Rick Mays draws a pretty phenomenal Scarab. The various artists seem to be chosen to help represent the style of each of the assassins. This sequence consists of short stories introducing us further to the other members of the Noh.







[b:Kabuki Skin Deep|89814|Kabuki, Vol. 4 Skin Deep|David Mack|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347219865s/89814.jpg|440299]. Mack returns to both draw and write. In Skin Deep his incredible artistic skills beginning to shine. He can morph like a chameleon from cartoonish renderings to realist representational paintings to pencil sketches.




[b:Kabuki Metamorphosis|89815|Kabuki, Vol. 5 Metamorphosis|David Mack|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347660123s/89815.jpg|18787]. Mack writes, draws, letters and designs. For the sheer brilliance on display, I think Metamorphosis is the most beautiful of the series and my favorite. The diversity of techniques is breathtaking.






[b:Kabuki Scarab Lost in Translation|98454|Kabuki, Vol. 6 Scarab, Lost in Translation|David Mack|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347752395s/98454.jpg|94908]. An action-packed side-step featuring everyone's favorite assassin, Scarab. Illustrated in graphic black & white by Rick Mays, the coolest artist from the Masks collection. Just as the art harkens to outstanding comic illustration style, it doesn't push the envelope in content or technique. A fun diversion.




[b:Kabuki The Alchemy|3155976|Kabuki, Vol. 7 The Alchemy|David Mack|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347738255s/3155976.jpg|3187674]. Mack takes his signature collage style even further, using cut up items and diverse materials including envelopes and letters sent to him from fans of the series to tell the existentialist, inspirational conclusion of Kabuki's epic story. Although visually, I prefer Metamorphosis, I truly admire The Alchemy for showing the potential of comics. Yes, many artists like R. Crumb and Chris Ware have achieved fame for non-superhero stories. But Mack essentially demonstrates the potential before our eyes to move beyond the dictates of the superhero form. A series that begins with ultra-violent superhumans fighting battles for stereotypical reasons ends with artistic explorations of our inner potential as creative beings. Kabuki moves beyond standard comic book “hero” tropes into a story of heroic action as self-transformation, moving beyond the dictatorship of the system, the fear of change and the psychological control of the past. The hero is one who evolves not one who kills everything. And Mack says we each have the potential, regardless of what has come before, to evolve. Perhaps best of all, the transformation that takes place goes much further than within the narrative; it is a transformation of the form of graphic storytelling. Now that is truly inspirational.








Highly recommended! ( )

In this third volume in the series we get to meet other Noh operatives : Scarab, Siamese, Snapdragon, Ice, TigerLily, and Butoh. There are multiple chapters and a little of the history of each operative is revealed.The operatives are preparing to find and neutralize the rogue Kabuki.
The chapters about the budding friendship between Scarab and TigerLily - the only Noh operatives who know each others identity behind the masks- are touching and give insight into the private lives of professional assassins.
The illustrations - all black and white - are by multiple artists. I preferred the chapters by Rick Mays, but all the artists did a great job. Recommended 4/5 stars. ( )