What do you think?
Rate this book
Blackjack: Blood and Honor
Arron Day, aka Blackjack, is an African-American soldier of fortune battling powerful enemies, the ghosts of his past, and the bigotry of his times. It is the 1930s. A good time for a dark hunter. In Tokyo, 1935, Blackjack has taken on a dangerous mission. His assignment is to protect a Japanese dignitary who is haunted by a terrible secret and marked for death by those who are driving his country toward world war. Blackjack is soon pitted against spies, rebels, lies, bigotry, a secret order of warlords, and an elite force of the Japanese army. Before long Arron is battling not only to save his client, but also an innocent who will change his life, forever. This is an beautifully illustrated, nonstop action-adventure tale rich with history, human drama, and some exciting extras! Cover by Brian Stelfreeze. Full color. 104 pages.
- GenresGraphic Novels
108 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2000
25 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 21, 2014
I just saw a long lost cinematic gem from the 1930's. It was an expertly filmed, big budget (for its time) globe trotting adventure yarn starring the great Paul Robeson as our soldier-of-fortune protagonist in a story written and directed by Orson Wells. I can see why anyone that's seen the film hold it in such high regard.
I can also see that you don't believe me. And you shouldn't.
What I wrote in the first paragraph isn't true.
It is true, however, that Blackjack: Blood and Honor reads like an epic adventure helmed by Wells enhanced by Robeson's talent and presense would have played in the imagined "wouldn't-it-be-great-if ..." perfect world in my
mind.
Arron Day (His first name - as he recalls in the story - is spelled that way for reasons his deceased Father made clear to him when he was young), an adventurer/soldier of Fortune has a meeting with a representative of a Japanese dignitary at his on again/off again lover Ruby Jean's night club interrupted by black clad assassins who kill the prospective client's representative and have a few of their own leveled by Arron before making their escape. This, of course, prompts him to take a trip to (pre World War Two) Japan with his Butler in tow (there's a reason for this in a twist that neither of them are fully aware of until deep into the story) where the adventurer must protect a man in a country that doesn't want him there filled with armies, warlords and thugs that will do everything they can to make him a corpse. A well researched adventure tale that delivers with action, suspense and story twists you may not see coming but will make perfect sense when it's all said and done. Another bang up job (This is the second Blackjack adventure. The first - "Bite of The Cobra" - has just been made into a collected edition and is a few months away from publication as of this post) by Alex Simmons and the artists that brought this high adventure pulp offering to life.
I can also see that you don't believe me. And you shouldn't.
What I wrote in the first paragraph isn't true.
It is true, however, that Blackjack: Blood and Honor reads like an epic adventure helmed by Wells enhanced by Robeson's talent and presense would have played in the imagined "wouldn't-it-be-great-if ..." perfect world in my
mind.
Arron Day (His first name - as he recalls in the story - is spelled that way for reasons his deceased Father made clear to him when he was young), an adventurer/soldier of Fortune has a meeting with a representative of a Japanese dignitary at his on again/off again lover Ruby Jean's night club interrupted by black clad assassins who kill the prospective client's representative and have a few of their own leveled by Arron before making their escape. This, of course, prompts him to take a trip to (pre World War Two) Japan with his Butler in tow (there's a reason for this in a twist that neither of them are fully aware of until deep into the story) where the adventurer must protect a man in a country that doesn't want him there filled with armies, warlords and thugs that will do everything they can to make him a corpse. A well researched adventure tale that delivers with action, suspense and story twists you may not see coming but will make perfect sense when it's all said and done. Another bang up job (This is the second Blackjack adventure. The first - "Bite of The Cobra" - has just been made into a collected edition and is a few months away from publication as of this post) by Alex Simmons and the artists that brought this high adventure pulp offering to life.
May 29, 2022
This could have been something really great, but the finished story is very meh. A couple of good action pages, nothing else really.
January 19, 2014
This was a great adventure story. Solid roots in the pulps and serials that gave us Indiana Jones or the Shadow, capturing all that fun and mystery (no magic arks or anything though- these are the mysteries of every human heart and murder plots both), but with a more modern understanding of culture and history- more grey area, more multipolar viewpoints.
Don't let that fool you, there is all the punching, shooting, and explosions, as well as the noble deaths and the trusting one another with your lives that we would want from a 1930's international adventurer.
Also notable is that Arron Day, the main character, is black. He's not a stereotype and he doesn't exist to show you his blackness, he is a black man from a time and place. It isn't his character, it is just part of what shaped him. Through I look forward to a time when a character in fiction can just be of a non-white race without being ABOUT being that race, we're not quite there yet. Until we are, stories and characters like Blackjack are remarkable and necessary.
Don't let that fool you, there is all the punching, shooting, and explosions, as well as the noble deaths and the trusting one another with your lives that we would want from a 1930's international adventurer.
Also notable is that Arron Day, the main character, is black. He's not a stereotype and he doesn't exist to show you his blackness, he is a black man from a time and place. It isn't his character, it is just part of what shaped him. Through I look forward to a time when a character in fiction can just be of a non-white race without being ABOUT being that race, we're not quite there yet. Until we are, stories and characters like Blackjack are remarkable and necessary.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews