If you’ve been following the most recent relaunch of Katana penned by Ann Nocenti, then you’ve probably noticed the baffling cultural stereotypes. Nocenti writes Katana in a way that pays little to no respect to her main character’s Japanese cultural heritage. All of this is to say that in comics, cultural diversity is not always treated with total delicacy and most of the time just ignored for something a bit more European.
It’s because of this reason that Tales of the Moonlight Cutter is such a refreshing comic series. As far as action comics, Tales is pretty standard business — a mysterious warrior travels through 12th century China destroying violent spirits with a magic sword that can put vengeful ghosts to rest. It’s nothing groundbreaking, however, what does make this book shine is that way in which creator Dale Berry treats the culture surrounding ancient China.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press