Review: Rip the Falcon #1 by Riley Webber
A winged samurai soars over the frontier, seeking peace yet finding more conflict the further he travels.
Rip is a falcon “searching through the Reach.” Living in a world of fellow humanlike animals, demons, and fae creatures, he seeks something he does not yet know and cannot name. All he has are his enormous talons, his fighting skills, and the determination to see justice done.
Part of an ongoing animated series, Rip the Falcon #1 explores an adventure that sees the titular hero facing a true test of spirit. Will he live to learn the lesson shown to him? Or will the power he finds overcome him?
The Story
The comic is direct and has no narration, with only the dialogue explaining matters. Rip begins the tale capturing and eating a lizard after flying over a strange eye in the ground. The world of the Reach is treacherous and the land is not as safe as it first appears. But at least the lizard eased his hunger.
Continuing his journey, Rip happens upon a village of farmers. One older man and his wife take him in, offering the wandering falcon a meal. Rip explains that he has no specific destination in mind and agrees to stay the night. His host is a fisherman and the next day they set out for the river. On their way there they pass a strange, creepy mask on a stick at the entrance to the local forest. The fisherman tells Rip that the mask is a warning. It represents the Vamut, the local bogeyman said to haunt the woods. The villagers do not go there and those who enter do not return.
Rip finds the peace of the village shattered not long afterward. Hamati – bandits – attack and kill several dozen villagers before carrying off the women and children. Following them, Rip strikes at the Hamati to stop them and capture their cart, which carries the helpless innocents to their doom. But before he can get far, he is overcome by the bandit leader.
Now he must find a way to free them all, before he is sold and the women and children face a fate worse than death!
The Characters
Rip is the strong, silent type and it works very well for him. It is not hard to see in him the masterless samurai of Japan, the ronin, or the lone gunmen of the Old West. He fits both archetypes seamlessly and he is more than capable of dishing out severe punishment to wrongdoers. Rip’s enormous talons serve as excellent weapons on par with any ronin’s blade, while he possesses the grit and determination of an American gunslinger as he faces down his enemies.
Yet he also has a soft side. Though he does not play with the children who approach him, Rip shows no animosity to them and lets them stroke his wings without complaint. The scene of him helping the old man fish is particularly poignant, as it demonstrates that he does desire peace. Whether or not he will ever find it remains the question, as the bandit attack shows that even when he discovers a calm place to rest, trouble will not avoid him.
The World
The world is reminiscent of the Old West, in both the landscapes and the attitudes of the people who call it home. The villagers’ houses all have a southwestern pueblo aesthetic and the land Rip flies over in the first panels is largely desert, with high mountains in the background. The forests can be places of danger and darkness since they are, after a point, alien locations. Most of the land is either arable, rocky, or desert. So when Rip encounters a forest, small wonder strange things and villainous people move amid the trees….
Politics
None.
Content Warning
Rip slashes throats and blood sprays, much as it will in a samurai film straight from Japan. The bandits are not above threatening rape to the women they kidnap and order them to “dance,” so that would qualify as sexual innuendo, and there is foul language used in the comic as well. The bandits aren’t afraid to slash, hack, burn, and try to crush skulls, and one is killed using his own fist. Mature readers will not have a problem with any of this, but do not let the little ones read it.
Who is it for?
People who like the animated series for Rip the Falcon (which is available for purchase on Amazon) will thoroughly enjoy this comic. Anyone looking for a new series that blends Oriental and Occidental themes with direct, simple, but extremely entertaining stories will find the comic book a refreshing read as well. Hollywood ought to be telling these tales and The Mandalorian did a decent job of that for the first two seasons. Rip the Falcon, however, does it even better by charting a different path from that of the Lone Wolf and Cub trope. Rip follows the theme of the mysterious Pale Rider or wandering swordsman seeking peace. Lovers of Westerns and samurai lore will definitely want to read this book.
Why buy it?
It is a fun comic book set in a milieu all but abandoned by mainstream storytellers. The episode is an excellent homage to the tales it admires as well. What more can one want in the wasteland that is present-day entertainment?