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April 26th, 2013 
Peter Nolan In 2013 Onrie Kompan Productions produced the graphic novel Yi Soon Shin: Warrior and Defender, a beautifully-rendered hardbound compilation of the four issue limited series comic that told a historical accounting of one of Korea’s most celebrated heroes, Yi Soon Shin. who defended his country from a Japanese invasion in the year 1592. The epic story was a magnificent rendering of an amazing battle that took place on the open sea and on land between the massive invading forces of the nation of Japan, and the (much smaller and not as well equipped) Korean forces.
Now, with the release of Yi Soon Shin Fallen Avenger #1, Onrie Kompan and his team of extremely talented creators have gone back to the well to continue this amazing tale. True to form, the 24-page comic is as lushly-rendered as were its predecessors. As with the previous issues it is co-written by Kompan and David Anthony Kraft (who also edited it), illustrated by Giovanni Timpano, with colors by Adriana De Los Santos, and letters by Joel Saavedra. Picking up five years after where the previous comics left off, we find that Yi Soon Shin has now been promoted to Supreme Commander of the Allied Navy with 150 ships under his authority. Unfortunately, the war with Japan is not going well. While Korea has naval superiority, Japan’s land forces still occupy much of Korea.
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Further, with Yi Soon Shin’s rise in prominence and power, he has made an enemy in the King who is jealous and afraid that Yi Soon Shin will attempt to usurp him (even though Yi Soon Shin has made it clear that he has no such intention. Also, some of the other admirals continue to be jealous of him as well, especially Admiral Won. The layers of intrigue in this story are so thoroughly interwoven making it a very fascinating tale. Given that this is based on historical fact, the story runs deeper and is far more engaging than standard superhero fare.
To be sure, Kompan does update the language for today’s modern audience, and there is some female nudity in this issue, but all of it is done in good taste as well as to keep the reader interested in the story. This is a profound historical work that is lovingly rendered with an enormous amount of attention being paid to every detail of the story. It is clear that Kompan is a student of history and is making every effort to not only get everything as accurate as possible, but to tell a compelling tale that will bring these historical events to life for a new generation.
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Robert J. Sodaro has been reviewing comicbooks for some 30 years. During that time, his reviews and articles have appeared in numerous print publications, as well as on the web. Subscribe to receive regular comicbook articles and reviews.
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