Sunday, May 1

Angel Ace: Tenchu

'Tenchu' is a word that anyone who plays videogames should be familiar with, thanks to the ninja stealth-action series of the same name. The word means 'Heaven's Punishment', and that sounds like a very good subtitle to this particular Angel Ace story that I am now thinking of pushing through.

We ended Angel Ace Next with the tragic, sudden death of Kai at the hands of her commander, Seta. Of course, since then we know that Kai doesn't really stay dead- in fact, she emerges stronger than ever and has her own title, to boot. However, it remains a fact that Kai was liquidated and has since gone through hell (and back). And through all this, Angel is happy and care-free in Newhaven, with a new life and new friends and a bright future.

Well, not anymore.

What would Angel do if she found out that her best friend in the world, a person closer to her than a sister, someone who trusted her even when no one else would, was murdered in cold blood? How would she react? What would she do? How far would she go?

Tenchu will no doubt surprise, if even shock, readers who have to date seen Angel only as the smiling, ever-friendly and light-hearted girl-next-door. But then, we have to remember that angels aren't just cute winged infants that shoot arrows of love. They're also Heaven's soldiers, and it is to angels that Heaven's Punishment- or Tenchu- is assigned to dispense. Here's a side of Angel that has never been portrayed yet on the page.

I am quite excited at the prospect of doing this issue. The action and fight scenes should be the most intense yet, and it'll be pushing the character to her limits and beyond. Plus, I think this is a story that has to be told- vital to the relationship of both Angel and Kai, and their two respective titles and storylines. Needless to say, this issue should also push the overall Angel Ace plot forward (Jayce will be happy) by showing a lot of the series' villains and explaining some of the background of the 'master plan' unfolding behind the scenes.

More on this as it happens. I start writing the scripts and drawing the pages soon.

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