Frank Brunner's Seven Samuroid!

I've seen this cover for decades. Back then graphic novels were something I bought rarely, though now the price seems downright quaint. But for whatever reason, I've never owned nor read Frank Brunner's Seven Samuraoid. Likely it's because until the days of dvd I never much knew anything about Kurosawa or the movie that inspired this film and the classic western The Magnificent Seven which I've seen many times. I've never seen Seven Samurai still to this day, but I know that someday I must catch it. It's the source for so much material that I value.

Brunner takes the story and translates it into the future and deep space. A planet is put upon by evil forces which seek to enslave the people and some few are fighting though it seems hopeless. A young girl in a battle with the enemy falls into a cave and finds Ultek a lost Samuroid. The Samuroid are warrior robots built as something of a final solution to war, but it didn't work out and Ultek has remained hidden and powered down for two thousand years. The girl convinces him to help her people and he begins to assemble other Samuroid. He finds them in various places, including a travelling sideshow where some fight for entertainment. Others show up when they detect that Ultek is active once more. Of course if you know the plot of the movies you can guess how this unfolds. There is sacrifice and there is romance, though it's a bit of stretch.

I found Brunner's artwork vivid and lively, and his storytelling worked for me most of the time. The story is so familiar in its larger aspects that alas there are relatively few surprises, but its a handsome addition to the tradition. This is a comic I've read almost nothing about. It was published by some New Zealand outfit and the cover always made me think it was some sort of gaming book for such. I don't think I even realized it was a for real story by a talent of Brunner's capacity for many years. I found a copy for cover in a local store, they are almost always cheap when I see them. It's not a classic, but this is a comic that deserves some more recognition that it's gotten.

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