This property has a lot of longstanding fan buzz around it. I'll admit, I've never picked up an issue. But if it's good enough for IndyClix, there must be something to it.

From Dark Horse:

They said she was a bad girl. They said she was a fad. They said she'd never last.

They'll say anything, won't they?

Just in time for the 10th anniversary of Billy Tucci's highly evocative original mini-series, Shi: The Way of the Warrior, Ana Ishikawa - better known as Shi - is back! The avenging angel torn between two ways of life returns in Shi: Ju-Nen, a brand new limited series from Dark Horse Comics.

The odds were always against Shi, but she's not only still here… she's back and better than ever!

Ten years have passed since Tucci first introduced us to the shadow war, which has raged for hundreds of years between the warrior monks of the Kyoto and Nara Sohei, direct descendants of Japan's greatest samurai. It was in that series that we met Ana Ishikawa, who set out on the path of revenge but found herself lost in a sea of conflict, much of it within her own soul.

Things have changed in the last decade. The Narans have finally been defeated, and the Kyoto Sohei are about to rub it in - with the encouragement of the Yakuza and with potentially disastrous consequences. Once again, Ana Ishikawa will don the guise of Shi, Death Incarnate, and try to prevent disaster.

Shi: Ju-Nen returns Billy Tucci to the character that made his mark in comics, and returns him to his first full mini-series following several film projects, including his award winning short film, some trouble of a SeRRious nature.

"I'm thrilled to have Ana and this mini-series at Dark Horse," Tucci said. "The success of their Shi statue, which sold out before its release, was amazing, and I think it's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg for what we will accomplish together.

"Mike Richardson and his team have just been amazing to work with, and since Shi has always been something of a dark horse in the comic book world, I think it's a great fit," Tucci added.

"I've known Billy for many years and am glad for the chance to finally work together," commented Dark Horse President Mike Richardson. "We are proud to have this classic character become part of the Dark Horse family."

Shi: Ju-Nen is a four-issue, standard format mini-series created by Tucci and is scheduled for a spring 2004 release.

For a little bit on the film adaptation, check out this interview with Cary Tagawa...

Derek McCaw