After ten years, four million comic books, and over $25 million in sales, one of the most successful and critically acclaimed self-published properties in comics history has found a new home at Dark Horse, and creator Billy Tucci couldnÂ’t be happier! But who is Shi?
As a child, Ana Ishikawa witnesses the brutal slaying of her father and brother. She is then spirited away and raised by her grandfather, Yoshitora, a descendent of the warrior monks of medieval Kyoto, who trains the girl to seek out the murderer and avenge her familyÂ’s honor.
However, AnaÂ’s life becomes one of constant inner conflict between her programmed mission of revenge and the Christian leanings she secretly harbors.
With her conflicted soul weakened, this vengeful obsession consumes Ana’s very being, as she transforms herself to Shi — the living embodiment of Death, who, since childhood, has terrified and encouraged her in her crusade of vengeance.
Yet the duality that rages within AnaÂ’s soul will not permit her submission to the death demon that terrorizes her, for AnaÂ’s faith and the ethereal visions of her gallant ancestral Sohei shepherd her along the bloody way of the warrior.
Now, the sultry Sohei returns to the thought-provoking visual pageantry Shi fans have come to expect from three-time Eisner award nominee Billy Tucci with Shi: Ju-Nen.
This is the Tenth Anniversary of Shi. How does it feel to have Ana still going strong after all these years?
It still seems like yesterday that I was finishing up Shi: The Way of the Warrior #1. I’ll never forget that rush of excitement, anticipation and overwhelming anxiety as I hurried to get the book to the printer. It’s been an incredibly satisfying decade of art and storytelling that has changed my life forever. Shi has been covered by such greats as Alex Ross, Jim Lee, George Perez, and Frank Frazetta, and her devoted fanbase has come to expect a certain level of quality that rivals the big boys. Unfortunately, I could never fully capitalize on the readers and retailers demand for more Shi, because as a self-publisher, most of my time was bogged down in the business aspects of comics and away from the keyboard or art table. But thanks to Dark Horse, I can now devote all of my time to actually doing what I love most — creating.
What do new readers need to know about Shi to jump on board with this new series?
Ju-Nen marks the rebirth of Shi. This is a modern-day Samurai tale about a reluctant soldier who actually turns their back on vengeance itself. Our readers know and expect a good story and I tried to develop a pivotal story line for the character that also serves as an excellent jumping off point. Though Ju-Nen will devote ample page space to the previous story lines and ‘Shistory,’ you really needn’t have read any of the previous story lines to get a grasp on the overall continuity.
How did you initially come about creating this character, do you have a passion for Japanese history?
Actually the story seemed to have developed all on its own. In Japan, I found this wonderful multilayered culture with an isolated history unique to the rest of the world. People know of the samurai, kimonos and ninjas, but what about the Sohei. For a thousand years, these warrior-monks ruled Japan and after their downfall still played a crucial role in the countryÂ’s political, societal and militaristic direction. But what IÂ’m most excited about in Ju-Nen is the visuals. The setting for the series is in and around kabuki theatre, to which the Sohei have veiled themselves in. The sets and costumes alone give me an extraordinary pallet to work from and IÂ’m just having a blast with the whole thing.
What can you tell us about the status of the SHI movie?
So much has been written about that. First it was with Franchise Films, but after a brutal development process and after actually seeing their films, I knew they werenÂ’t the right producers for Shi. So when the option expired I cut and run. Fortunately, comic-based films are the flavor of the decade and we had no problem taking our time and searching for the right producer with enough creative and business sense to see the project through. Mimi Gitlin (Thelma and Louise, Trapped) is the producer for Shi and IÂ’m currently writing the first draft with Kevin Bernhardt (Nelson DeMille's The Charm School) Apparently our financing and distribution are secure, and weÂ’ll hopefully go into production this summer!
Shi and Uma Thurman's character from Kill Bill in a cage match, who'd left standing?
I hate to admit it, but IÂ’ve yet to see Kill Bill. Too many people told me it would piss me off. ShiÂ’s story direction is one of forced bloodshed, but also an individualÂ’s spiritual journey towards freedom and peace.