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This issue is a prequel to A Monk's Tale, a four-issue mini-series following the adventures of three Chinese monks named Hing, Siu and Zhen. This light-hearted action series is set in Ancient China. Fans of martial arts movies, especially those 1980s movies co-starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung will probably enjoy this comic, as it has a very similar feel.
The interesting thing about this prequel is that the creators of the comic decided to make it a very short story showing the three main characters growing up. The story is like a slice of monastery life, and as each scene fades into the next, the characters are a little bit older. At first, this was a bit confusing, but they get points for a novel idea.
The artwork is high-quality cartoon style, nicely shaded in sienna, and printed on nice magazine paper. In addition to the short story, there's a gallery section in the back, and a nice "making of" that gives us a look into the creative process. The creators of this comic seem like fun, humorous people who really enjoy their projects. There are also two pin-ups, one each by Jeffrey Seteven and Jess Mead.
This #0 issue gave me enough of a feel for the comic to assume that the rest of the series will be a humorous, family-friendly comic. I'd definitely pick up another issue if I saw it available at my comic shop or a convention.
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