Klaw: The Cycle Renewed – A Review
Okay gang, this is my third TPB in the last two days, and I read one at home for fun, so mentally, I’m beat up. There are a lot of comic facts bouncing around the ol’ melon today, so bear with me.
This book was kind enough to start out with a primer, to either keep people up to speed, get people up to speed, or not make you read ten pages and give up. I read ten pages, then went back and read the primer, and it really explained what my brain was missing.
Basically, there are 12 Totems, and 12 Forgotten totems. These totems are within a person called a Dizmi, and the totems can be shared with people. A person can also have more than one totem, and combine the powers, so you basically have a wild card totem. (5 is the most stored in a Dizmi safely).
Now, of course, totems have powers, which make other Dizmi want them. This follows the story of a young man who was introduced to this, and the wars he’s had to maintain his totems, and the allegiances he’s made, and the enemies he fights.
I believe this is book 7 of the story, and to be honest, I was lost. It’s an interesting concept, but I really feel that you need to start sooner. I read it, and unless you’ve started early, it’s hard to separate which Dizmi has what totem, and what totem has what powers, and who’s combined. I think if you’ve been on the ride the whole time, this book is exciting, and its definitely action packed, so please, start earlier if this is your thing.
When I first started the book, there was a girl with lavender hair immediately. My first thought was “god damn it, another book filled with dumb colors for hair”. First, the hair color helps you recognize people, because the story is frantic and fast paced. The more I read, the more I enjoyed the art. There is definitely an anime feel to it, but the harshness and angularity of it is softened.
The color palette is softer than most books, almost giving you a water color feel. I really like the coloring mixed with the art. You don’t have the brashness of a “big 3” book color wise, but a very pleasant experience. I’d read a page, and then stop and soak in the artwork, which I don’t do enough.
The story was, like I said, frantic and fast paced. There was lots of action, and one of the nice things they did, while not stretching out too much, is explain why things are happening, but in a matter of fact way. If they hadn’t done that, I might have made it 15 pages in, instead of soldiering through it.
When I finished this book yesterday, I had planned on giving it a 2.5/5.0. Due to commitments, I couldn’t write the review until the next day, and the book wouldn’t leave my head. I looked it over again, reread some of it, and decided to boost my rating of this title to 3.5. Though not really my thing, they did a great job of packaging it, so it was enjoyable on many levels. I highly recommend if this is your jam, find the series, and start from the beginning, because it’s tough starting in the middle.
Mista J