Assassin's Chronicles: Masterclass Collector's Edition

The first wave of "Zheng Wen's Works" is included in this hardcover edition, which includes the original five "Assassin's Biography" comics, plus "The Last Duel," "Legend of the Sword Immortal," and "The Executioner" from the first three pilot issues of the 1985 Happy Comics. These three stories marked the beginning of Zheng Wen's and Taiwan's second golden age of comics.
"Biographies of Assassins" is based on the biographies of assassins in "Records of the Grand Historian" by Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian. The book collects the historical deeds of five prominent assassins from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period: Cao Mu, Yu Rang, Zhuan Zhu, Nie Zheng, and Jing Fu. The stories follow: Cao Mu, who captured Duke Huan of Qi and forced him to return the territory he had seized from the State of Lu; Zhuan Zhu, who assassinated King Liao on behalf of Prince Guang of Wu; Yu Rang, who, grateful for Zhi Bo's kindness, avenged his assassination by assassinating Zhao Xiangzi; Nie Zheng, who assassinated Han Xiangxia at the behest of Yan Zhongzi; and Jing Fu, who assassinated the King of Qin at the behest of Prince Dan of Yan.
Zheng Wen powerfully reinterprets the tragic undertones of the original novel with his own personal concerns, transforming Sima Qian's elegant narrative with ink painting techniques and imbuing these stories with a contemporary resonance through a dissonant tension. The powerful images resonate deeply with each assassin caught in the impending storm...
He once said in an interview that "persistence and reason" are what makes a hero. If you believe in something, you should act on it. These stories and characters, shaped by the times, have a different concept of "loyalty" than what we understand today... But why did Cheng Wen continue to paint these people? Because they had beliefs, and even if they might lose their lives or face disgrace, they still acted anyway, and that's why he considered them heroes.
Zheng Wen said, "The most controversial aspect of the assassins' design is Yu Rang's neutral face. My original intention was to emphasize his self-sacrifice and courage after his disfigurement. Nie Zheng, the dog-slaughtering figure, often evokes the image of an obese butcher. I recast him as a martial artist to elicit his helplessness in the marketplace. The earth-shattering calamity that marks Cao Mo's entrance is a fictional creation to heighten the dramatic effect. I didn't deliberately reject the intensity and martial arts of the assassination; I primarily wanted to use the atmosphere of murder to evoke the assassins' heroic and tragic spirits. Readers who are interested in these elements can further appreciate Sima Qian's original text in the "Records of the Grand Historian" for a unique experience."
This book, which won first place in the National Compilation and Translation Center's Outstanding Comic Award in 1986, has been published twice: the first edition was published by China Times in 1985, and the second edition was published by Da La in 2010. In 2017, Da La relaunched the "Assassin's Biographies" Master Classic Collector's Edition for comic fans. This large-format, full-color, 18x26cm hardcover edition magnifies the master's classic work, transforming each frame into a work of art.
Comics to me are like hatching eggs, a nest of eggs of all kinds. —Zheng Wen

2017-05-25

大辣出版社

192

9789866634673