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Samurai Jack #20
Released by: IDW Publishing
Released on: June 3rd, 2015.
Written by: Jim Zubkavich
Illustrated by: Andy Suriano
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The last issue of IDW's Samurai Jack series is entitled Mako The Scribe. Maybe not so surprisingly, it features Make, the man who inscribes the 'words and deeds of important historical figures.' Why? Because he seeks knowledge and enlightenment. His current project is to find and write about Jack. To do this he inquires with a bartender (named Suriano!) and in doing so is given quite a story.
Month back a meteor landed. When the local farmers went to investigate they found a 'bear-beast from beyond the stars.' There was a fight but it didn't go well and the bear's name? Jack. Mako soon realizes this is all hearsay and his inquiries with other townspeople yield similar results until he meets a man in a bar who has actually met Jack in person. Years back this man drove a wagon from port to port and on one run he and his daughter came face to face with Aku's robots only to be saved by the infamous samurai himself. After he tells his story, the man asks him why he's so interested in the subject and after Mako explains, the man offers to take him to Jack. Together they voyage to a camp high up in the mountains populated by those who would stand up to Aku - each one with their own story about Jack.
Later that night when Mako asks to meet Jack, his request is obliged and he comes face to face with the legend himself, on the very eve that he and his crew plan to launch an assault on Aku…
And with that, we come to the end. It's a fitting, even beautiful, finish to what has been a genuinely great continuation of the fan favorite animated series that served as the springboard for this book. Zub's wordsmithing in this last issue is top notch and, without spoiling the end, he really does bring a nice sense of closure to the series while still leaving the door open for more adventures should the opportunity present itself down the road. It is, in a word, the perfect way to send off what he and the art crew have been obviously working so hard at these past few years. It is, for lack of a better word, touching but not at the expense of the humor that has always been key to making this such a fun read.
Illustrator Andy Suriano returns to finish off the series with Zub. His art is as good here as it has been in the issues that he's illustrated prior. While this issue doesn't allow him the opportunity to draw a lot of big action set pieces as he has in the past he still does some really interesting and creative things with panel layout and design. Josh Burcham's colors stand out here as well, and he and Suriano really do a perfect job of bringing the animated series to the printed page.
Here's to a job well done. The series was hitting high notes from the start and it consistently did that for the duration. This last issue sends things out on a high note for sure - take a bow, guys - here's to a job well done.
