I will be frank. I am not terribly familar with the Mandarin. He’s a villian I know more by reputation then any stories. I know about the rings, and the basic idea and I have a few odd comics here or there with him in it, but not any that I think any that would be considered classics.

I can pretty much definatively say with this issue that is no longer true.

This is a great story. I may not know much about how the Mandarin has been portrayed in the past but I can get behind this version. He’s overly grand, and capable of great cruelty on a whim, and a bit scary. And yet he’s also petty, and the story reveals his insecurities and impotence (not in that way).

The story, based loosely on a true story where Kim Jong-il kidnapped a South Korean film director in hopes to start an award winning North Korea film industry, is one of those great stories where an ordinary man is forced to confront a much larger evil in the only way he can, through his art.

The art isn’t standout, but it conveys the story well enough and there’s a few really good panels here there.