The Devil's Red Bride: The Complete Series

The Devil's Red Bride #1-5

by Sebastian Girner, John Bivens (Illustrations), Iris Monahan (Color Artist)

Both a master of the sword and a slave to it, Aragami Ketsuko cannot resist the tide of violence that would destroy her clan. Taking up her fallen father's 'Red Devil' mask, Ketsuko fights to save her people, no matter the bloody cost.

WHAT IS THE SWORD? KETSUKO CARVES HER WAY THROUGH THE WORLD IN SEARCH OF THE ANSWER.

16th century Japan. The fates of warlords ebb and flow like tides of blood, none more than the Aragami Clan who follow their lord clad in the ‘Red Devil’ mask into every battle. But when Lord Aragami succumbs to illness, his daughter, the fierce Ketsuko, hatches a plot to save her people, no matter the cost…
Years later, as Ketsuko wanders the heaving battlefields of her ruined homeland, she discovers a chance to avenge the terrible wrong done to her clan, even if it means stepping back onto a road steeped in slaughter.
From writer Sebastin Girner (Shirtless Bear-Fighter!, Scales & Scoundrels) and artist John Bivens (Creature Feature, Spread) comes a blood-drenched love letter to Samurai fiction in a chilling tale of guilt, trauma, and vengeance.

Collects the complete five issue series.
 

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2021

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A darker, bloodier version of Mulan that also brings in Japanese demons to the story. A pretty solid story. The back and forth timelines were a bit confusing at times. A visual indication of which timeline we were in could have done wonders for that. The art was just OK.

[Michael Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! My one take away would be to maybe show more of the mythological side of the story. We go from her just being an amazing samurai to her killing giant gods and other creatures. Show me more of that world early on so im not taken out of the story when she fights some weird creature after fighting nothing but regular dudes

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last issue revelation/reveal was really good but the build up was too slowly paced for me.
Perhaps I'd the art was more to my taste then I'd like it more.
Read digitally.

[Michael J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating mini-series, but not without its' flaws. Sebastian Girner seems to have a detailed knowledge of samurai-era Japan, and incorporates many themes of the time into his story: family rivalry, disputes between clans, the role of women as tools in a male-dominated society. Add a hefty mix of political intrigue, deceit, manipulation, and trickery - - flavor with some unexpected but well-done supernatural side-plots - - making for compelling reading.
Sad to say that as ambitious as this is, it falls down somewhat in execution. The story would have benefited for a more-insightful editor providing direction. For one, the story hops around from past to present without notice, sometimes in the middle of a battle, and tends to pull me out of the story until I can sort out when the scene actually occurs.
There are plenty of twists in the story, but it would have benefited from a bit more clarity. Also, the art, while it has its moments of bloody brilliance, is uneven - - especially in the depiction of female characters who all seem to have the same face. The only way you can identify them is by their clothing or when they are addressed by name in the dialogue.
A noble effort overall, but this could have been so much more.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devil's red bride is a interesting but good mixed bag story. Part Mulan meets berserk, a vengeanful women in ancient Japan wants to be more than a piece of property to mend two Nations together, and the path to change that is soaked in blood. At times the writing is noticably well versed, about life and the brutality of it, other times it's painfully practical, getting from point A to B. The art ranges from very stylized to downright gritty, almost ugly. I enjoyed most of what this book is doing, but it's very rough around the edges. Maybe if it had another pass or edited a bit, it could have been something greater.

[Niche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ronin Berserk

A samurai vengeance tale with Berserk vibes. Decent art and writing, my only critique was a flashback followed by a new chapter marked "3 years ago" left me wondering if it was 3 before the flashback or the present and that the protagonist seemed to have way too much blood.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good premise

This was a fantastic premise - a female samurai who is the sole survivor of her club's massacre makes a deal with a devil and embarks on a quest if vengeance? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, the narrative is weighed down by a shocking amount of bald sexism and truly hideous art.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t tell if this is a ‘blue eyed samurai’ rip, or if Netflix stole this poor guys idea😂

Its a pretty good read either way. It kinda jumps around alot and the story is not that well organized but the narrative component is thoughtful and well written. The art didn’t do the book any favors either.

3.4✨

[Highland G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The time lines jumping around could have been a little clearer but overall I really enjoyed reading this. Its such a fresh dark take on a story where someone makes a deal with a devil but yet still sticks to the samurai genre well. Very cleverly written book.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you read this.... think Mulan inherits a demonically possessed mask and becomes a whirlwind of amazing samurai/shinobi/ronin - esque death. Interesting idea and good execution, but the details on this will be a little foggy over time.

Recommend. Not a farfetched idea, but still a good read.

[Brian Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 for the art, but the story confused me with all the timeline jumping.

[Magic Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the twists and turns. Pretty cool read.