This is the story of Michael Adams, also known as, Black Fox. Michael's story begins when his father takes him on a business trip to Hong Kong. There on the streets of Hong Kong they are attacked by a group of Ninjas, which results in his father being killed. Believing it to be some set up, Michael watches helplessly as his father is murdered. Michael is then kidnapped by the ninjas, and for five years is held captive.
Michael finally resurfaces five years later, a super martial artist, not knowing how he can explain the events of the last five years. He can only return to a world of loves and broken dreams.
Drugs and crime have overridden his neighborhood, and one of his best friends is the main driving force behind the mayhem. Black Fox, thus is born, out of a need to stop the senseless destruction of life, and regain the world he left behind five years prior.
Sounds like a good concept. Strong Black character, plenty of action, archrivals, and even a love interest. But there were some problems, for one thing the story was very weak, it did not flow. It was all over the place and there were many holes in the story. I would like to know what happened to Black Fox after he was abducted in China? And why was his father attacked? Plus there were several instances in the story where information was definitely incorrect. Hong Kong was introduced to readers as the Island of China. And Ninjas are from Japan, not China!
The artwork is very good, it is a little rough, but for a comic produced and printed via a personal computer it is put together well. I think this comic, like the independent series Gutwallow: The Gingerbread Man, reviewed in the October 2000 issue, would have made better short stories.
Again, I will reiterate, the thirty two-page comic book format is one of the most inefficient means of producing sequential art. It hampers the artists and ruins the story. Will Eisner, the father of the graphic novel, proves that it is possible to write comic stories that are not series. (See BANDWIDTH's review of Eisner's Last Day in Vietnam).
While I personally am sick of the superhero genre, I think that it is great that this comic was made. Most comics that deal with Black Americans make them sidekicks, and their roles are limited and come second to their white counterparts. Comics like this are needed to show producers that there is an audience for multi racial lead characters.
I wish the creator of this comic luck, but encourage him to seek the counsel of an editor for future issues to help create a more concrete story line. I would like to hear from fans of this series, so do not be shy send me your love or hate, either way I will be pleased. Send your comments and or questions to JenniferJ@ybfree.com.