The Ballad of Sang by Ed Brisson, Alessandro Micelli & Shari Chankhamma

Hit writer Ed Brisson (Old Man Logan, Cable) and newcomer Alessandro Micelli present a homage to Takashi Miike films with THE BALLAD OF SANG, the story of a child assassin raised in violence and out for revenge after his master is murdered. When a mistake on a job brings the wrath of Don Minchella down on him, Sang barely escapes with his life. While Sang swears revenge for his fallen mentor, every gang in the city mobilizes to return him to Minchella... dead or alive.

Format: ebook

Narrator: n/a
Performance: n/a
Story: 🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

Koroshiya Ichi is one of my all-time favorite films. Tadanobu Asano was magnificent as Kakihara. The film portrayed violence and gore with such gleeful abandon, it was practically comical.

The Ballad of Sang pays homage to Takashi Miike films and lets loose with almost the same level of mania. Guts were being pulled out while the person is still alive, uncountable number of limbs chopped off and of course, the classic, plucked eyeballs. All done with a touch of humor and a lot of blood, explicitly drawn in vivid colors. 

I loved that the main character, Sang, was a Filipino and I wasn't surprised that he was as tough as fuck because I have seen Filipino kids living in the streets and nothing comes close to their hardcore survival skills. 

You can't help but root for Sang from the get-go. His was a tragic, violent life. His battles were brutal and the story moved from one over-the-top fight to the next, never letting up on the adrenaline. Like the child that he was, Sang's reason for going after Minchella was so simple and pure, it left the final boss flabbergasted.

Let The Ballad of Sang blow your mind too!

P.S.

I received a copy of The Ballad of Sang  from Oni Press  via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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