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Kabuki #4
Kabuki, Vol. 4: Skin Deep
by David Mack
In stores the week of May 1st.
The A woman whose face is horribly scarred finds herself in an institution for "defective" government agents. She (Kabuki) is interrogated to find out if she is hiding something to do with the nature of her scars, or if she is simply crazy. Isolated and psychologically tormented, her only comfort is found in a mystery friend who sends handwritten messages that are folded into origami animals. Or is it just another trick?
This Now back in print! Collecting the entire Skin Deep series (and the Kabuki Fan Edition) in a brand new and improved prestige edition with extra pages! Having sold out of two entire previous print runs, this third printing includes for the first time
*The entire painted story from the sold out Kabuki Fan Edition, *a gallery of the original covers (including the cover art by ALEX ROSS),
*an Introduction by Alex Ross, *a brand new afterword by David Mack,
*re-colored and re-mastered pages, *a brand new front and back cover,
*preliminary sketches with notes on the story & art, *original script pages, *and printed on new and improved, thicker, high grade, archival paper.
Having been out of print for some time, fans are looking for Kabuki Vol 4, and this new printing delivers with loads of extras.
FC, 128ppÌýÌýÌý
In stores the week of May 1st.
The A woman whose face is horribly scarred finds herself in an institution for "defective" government agents. She (Kabuki) is interrogated to find out if she is hiding something to do with the nature of her scars, or if she is simply crazy. Isolated and psychologically tormented, her only comfort is found in a mystery friend who sends handwritten messages that are folded into origami animals. Or is it just another trick?
This Now back in print! Collecting the entire Skin Deep series (and the Kabuki Fan Edition) in a brand new and improved prestige edition with extra pages! Having sold out of two entire previous print runs, this third printing includes for the first time
*The entire painted story from the sold out Kabuki Fan Edition, *a gallery of the original covers (including the cover art by ALEX ROSS),
*an Introduction by Alex Ross, *a brand new afterword by David Mack,
*re-colored and re-mastered pages, *a brand new front and back cover,
*preliminary sketches with notes on the story & art, *original script pages, *and printed on new and improved, thicker, high grade, archival paper.
Having been out of print for some time, fans are looking for Kabuki Vol 4, and this new printing delivers with loads of extras.
FC, 128ppÌýÌýÌý
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
2 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
David W. Mack
476Ìýbooks208ÌýfollowersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ database with this name.
David W. Mack is a comic book artist and writer, best known for his creation Kabuki and his work on the Marvel Comics titles Daredevil and Alias
The author of the Star Trek Novels is David Mack
David W. Mack is a comic book artist and writer, best known for his creation Kabuki and his work on the Marvel Comics titles Daredevil and Alias
The author of the Star Trek Novels is David Mack
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 22, 2021
Kabuki wakes up in a locked white room. She's now a patient of Control. A group that rehabilitates agents for various government groups who lose control. They've captured her and resuscitated her when she died after killing off the leaders of the Noh. Now she's trapped and isolated in a white room because she refuses to cooperate without her mask to hide behind. Then she starts to receive origami notes written on toilet paper from another patient. The story shifts to something of a love story as Kabuki yearns for this contact. The story ends abrubtly as Mack switched publishers. This and the next volume are meant to be read as one story.
October 18, 2015
Wow. This was incredible. Ingenious.
Skin Deep continues from where Volume Three ended, with the Agents of the Noh, still heavy on kabuki's trail, and Kabuki has been recovered from the site of her mother's grave and resuscitated and is now held by the Control Corps at a facility for former renegade government agents. At the facility, Kabuki is isolated and alone and suffering from psychological breakdown, because she doesn't have the security of her mask. Her doctors withhold it from her, for they believe it'd be detrimental going forward on the project of separating her sense of identity from her mask. It's a tough task, one which Kabuki doesn't seem able to cope with, until she starts to receive Origami notes from another inmate named Akemi. Of course this could all be a trick, by the Noh or by the Control Corps, one things for sure though, Kabuki can't afford for it to be anything but the truth, for, Akemi holds the keys to escaping the wretched facility. Besides the Noh agents, Siamese have infiltrated the facility.
Skin Deep continues from where Volume Three ended, with the Agents of the Noh, still heavy on kabuki's trail, and Kabuki has been recovered from the site of her mother's grave and resuscitated and is now held by the Control Corps at a facility for former renegade government agents. At the facility, Kabuki is isolated and alone and suffering from psychological breakdown, because she doesn't have the security of her mask. Her doctors withhold it from her, for they believe it'd be detrimental going forward on the project of separating her sense of identity from her mask. It's a tough task, one which Kabuki doesn't seem able to cope with, until she starts to receive Origami notes from another inmate named Akemi. Of course this could all be a trick, by the Noh or by the Control Corps, one things for sure though, Kabuki can't afford for it to be anything but the truth, for, Akemi holds the keys to escaping the wretched facility. Besides the Noh agents, Siamese have infiltrated the facility.
August 23, 2008
Kabuki is a series about transformation. Yes, it has beautiful art. Yes, it has great writing. And while the central theme of the narrative is transformation, what I found even more powerful is the way the art of the stories transforms from collection to collection, seeming to mirror the character’s evolution.
I have met David Mack a couple times at Comicon, and I’ve been meaning to ask him if he always intended from the beginning for the story to be about transformation and to move from standard comic style to collage. I like to think that it’s something he came up with as he went along, and the writing of the story transformed as he developed it. That the book evolved him as the story itself evolved.
On a plot level, the story begins in rather mainstream comic fashion. Kabuki is set slightly in the future, primarily in Japan. The main character, Kabuki, is one of a group of eight female assassins called The Noh who wear iconic masks and stylized costumes. They are a team managed by the government and sent out to instill fear and kill gangsters and various corporate criminals. However ... not all is as it appears. A multi-layered conspiracy ensues. Seven graphic novels complete the story.
. Mack wrote and drew. Black & white. Has a grim, raw style. The art seems a bit underdeveloped to my eye. Has a bit of Sin City tone but more surreal. With more emphasis on emotions. The story is overall, fairly straightforward to this point.
. Mack wrote and drew. Takes a huge leap forward in style and has more of the Mack signature look. Collage style begins, color is introduced. Blends pencil sketching, ink drawings, painting and even photography. This is a book of interior monologue and, as the title would lead you to believe, is trippy.
. Mack writes and draws some scenes, but this is primarily guest drawn. The style returns to black & white, but overall more refined, precise and graphic than Circle of Blood. Rick Mays draws a pretty phenomenal Scarab. The various artists seem to be chosen to help represent the style of each of the assassins. This sequence consists of short stories introducing us further to the other members of the Noh.
. Mack returns to both draw and write. In Skin Deep his incredible artistic skills beginning to shine. He can morph like a chameleon from cartoonish renderings to realist representational paintings to pencil sketches.
. Mack writes, draws, letters and designs. For the sheer brilliance on display, I think Metamorphosis is the most beautiful of the series and my favorite. The diversity of techniques is breathtaking.
. An action-packed side-step featuring everyone's favorite assassin, Scarab. Illustrated in graphic black & white by Rick Mays, the coolest artist from the Masks collection. Just as the art harkens to outstanding comic illustration style, it doesn't push the envelope in content or technique. A fun diversion.
. Mack takes his signature collage style even further, using cut up items and diverse materials including envelopes and letters sent to him from fans of the series to tell the existentialist, inspirational conclusion of Kabuki's epic story. Although visually, I prefer Metamorphosis, I truly admire The Alchemy for showing the potential of comics. Yes, many artists like R. Crumb and Chris Ware have achieved fame for non-superhero stories. But Mack essentially demonstrates the potential before our eyes to move beyond the dictates of the superhero form. A series that begins with ultra-violent superhumans fighting battles for stereotypical reasons ends with artistic explorations of our inner potential as creative beings. Kabuki moves beyond standard comic book “hero� tropes into a story of heroic action as self-transformation, moving beyond the dictatorship of the system, the fear of change and the psychological control of the past. The hero is one who evolves not one who kills everything. And Mack says we each have the potential, regardless of what has come before, to evolve. Perhaps best of all, the transformation that takes place goes much further than within the narrative; it is a transformation of the form of graphic storytelling. Now that is truly inspirational.
Highly recommended!
I have met David Mack a couple times at Comicon, and I’ve been meaning to ask him if he always intended from the beginning for the story to be about transformation and to move from standard comic style to collage. I like to think that it’s something he came up with as he went along, and the writing of the story transformed as he developed it. That the book evolved him as the story itself evolved.
On a plot level, the story begins in rather mainstream comic fashion. Kabuki is set slightly in the future, primarily in Japan. The main character, Kabuki, is one of a group of eight female assassins called The Noh who wear iconic masks and stylized costumes. They are a team managed by the government and sent out to instill fear and kill gangsters and various corporate criminals. However ... not all is as it appears. A multi-layered conspiracy ensues. Seven graphic novels complete the story.
. Mack wrote and drew. Black & white. Has a grim, raw style. The art seems a bit underdeveloped to my eye. Has a bit of Sin City tone but more surreal. With more emphasis on emotions. The story is overall, fairly straightforward to this point.
. Mack wrote and drew. Takes a huge leap forward in style and has more of the Mack signature look. Collage style begins, color is introduced. Blends pencil sketching, ink drawings, painting and even photography. This is a book of interior monologue and, as the title would lead you to believe, is trippy.
. Mack writes and draws some scenes, but this is primarily guest drawn. The style returns to black & white, but overall more refined, precise and graphic than Circle of Blood. Rick Mays draws a pretty phenomenal Scarab. The various artists seem to be chosen to help represent the style of each of the assassins. This sequence consists of short stories introducing us further to the other members of the Noh.
. Mack returns to both draw and write. In Skin Deep his incredible artistic skills beginning to shine. He can morph like a chameleon from cartoonish renderings to realist representational paintings to pencil sketches.
. Mack writes, draws, letters and designs. For the sheer brilliance on display, I think Metamorphosis is the most beautiful of the series and my favorite. The diversity of techniques is breathtaking.
. An action-packed side-step featuring everyone's favorite assassin, Scarab. Illustrated in graphic black & white by Rick Mays, the coolest artist from the Masks collection. Just as the art harkens to outstanding comic illustration style, it doesn't push the envelope in content or technique. A fun diversion.
. Mack takes his signature collage style even further, using cut up items and diverse materials including envelopes and letters sent to him from fans of the series to tell the existentialist, inspirational conclusion of Kabuki's epic story. Although visually, I prefer Metamorphosis, I truly admire The Alchemy for showing the potential of comics. Yes, many artists like R. Crumb and Chris Ware have achieved fame for non-superhero stories. But Mack essentially demonstrates the potential before our eyes to move beyond the dictates of the superhero form. A series that begins with ultra-violent superhumans fighting battles for stereotypical reasons ends with artistic explorations of our inner potential as creative beings. Kabuki moves beyond standard comic book “hero� tropes into a story of heroic action as self-transformation, moving beyond the dictatorship of the system, the fear of change and the psychological control of the past. The hero is one who evolves not one who kills everything. And Mack says we each have the potential, regardless of what has come before, to evolve. Perhaps best of all, the transformation that takes place goes much further than within the narrative; it is a transformation of the form of graphic storytelling. Now that is truly inspirational.
Highly recommended!
May 4, 2013
Of all Kabuki books, Skin Deep left the strongest impression on me.
There is almost no moving plot. Instead, our heroine Kabuki/Ukiko wakes up in a government-run mental insitution and learns about her doctor, the other patients, and herself.
Her entire life had been vengeance, achieved in . Now what does she do with herself? She has no target to kill, and no idea who she is without one. Kabuki must reinvent herself as a human being, but the institution's goal is to break her, that she might be re-molded to suit the government's needs. Kabuki is thus too busy fighting for her sanity to answer many pressing questions of identity.
But then an origami crane drops into Kabuki's cell; when unfolded, it reveals a letter from a new friend. Notes keep coming, and the story of Kabuki reading these notes and falling in love with this faceless presence that anchors her to reality is stunning, beautiful and achingly romantic. In Skin Deep we find a romance based not on chemistry, not on witty banter or dream-perfect figures, but instead on two unique people exposing all the ugly parts of themselves, and then helping to put each other back together.
An orginal romance, told in an original book that bends the comics medium in original ways. Artistically David Mack continued to push himself with Skin Deep, adjusting his artistic style from photo-realistic to anime cute to scratchy and distorted depending on what each scene called for. The result was magic.
Continuity note: David Mack switched publishers in the middle of this series, which is why Skin Deep ends so abruptly, and then is taken up again in . They are one story, though Metamorphosis spends the first issue catching new readers up.
-
Author,
There is almost no moving plot. Instead, our heroine Kabuki/Ukiko wakes up in a government-run mental insitution and learns about her doctor, the other patients, and herself.
Her entire life had been vengeance, achieved in . Now what does she do with herself? She has no target to kill, and no idea who she is without one. Kabuki must reinvent herself as a human being, but the institution's goal is to break her, that she might be re-molded to suit the government's needs. Kabuki is thus too busy fighting for her sanity to answer many pressing questions of identity.
But then an origami crane drops into Kabuki's cell; when unfolded, it reveals a letter from a new friend. Notes keep coming, and the story of Kabuki reading these notes and falling in love with this faceless presence that anchors her to reality is stunning, beautiful and achingly romantic. In Skin Deep we find a romance based not on chemistry, not on witty banter or dream-perfect figures, but instead on two unique people exposing all the ugly parts of themselves, and then helping to put each other back together.
An orginal romance, told in an original book that bends the comics medium in original ways. Artistically David Mack continued to push himself with Skin Deep, adjusting his artistic style from photo-realistic to anime cute to scratchy and distorted depending on what each scene called for. The result was magic.
Continuity note: David Mack switched publishers in the middle of this series, which is why Skin Deep ends so abruptly, and then is taken up again in . They are one story, though Metamorphosis spends the first issue catching new readers up.
-
Author,
May 27, 2012
Reminds me of the magnificent "V for Vendetta" with it's claustrophobic scenes of imprisonement and descent into madness. Very powerful.
January 27, 2019
This volume built up on the previous volumes, including the main story and the time spent covering the wider story world, both external and internal to the kabuki character, and drove the narrative and character development forward in a satisfying way. Kabuki is still recovering from the effects of the fight at the end of the first volume and is in prison being interrogated and her mind is breaking. A fellow inmate is sending messages to her that keeps her alive, but the mystery is whether her captors are sending the notes or a real person. This builds on the theme of kabuki questioning identity and reality within herself anyway, so the themes build with the narrative. The other main character interaction kabuki has is with a psychologist /interrogator who is trying to get information from her but also assess her usefulness to the main organisation, possibly to continue as a noh agent or to be redeployed in another agency. This interaction fascinates me because i feel that kabuki is kind of a stand in for david mack, the author and it is so interesting that he interogates his own psyche dressed up in the highly mannered drawn character of a Japanese play character turned spy- it makes the work really honest but also leaves that feeling of a mask the whole time, and as an observer you just don't know where you stand. If you are standing in front of someone laid bare then that is fair enough, but it is also the feeling you get when someone is tricking you. And I think thatnis some of what mack is saying about being a human in the first place from his point of view- he doesn't always know on what basis identity and reality meet- so i guess as a reader i just have to sit in that same space, guided bynthe excellent art and story.
March 14, 2022
I have read these in totally the wrong order, but in some ways that seems fitting, especially with the timeline of this book bleeding into the next. I found this in the second-hand store in Brighton, and picked it up even though I have the issues stored away somewhere. Collections are always easier to read, and in this case I danced through it in one evening.
Kabuki's presentation always blows me away, and this is no exception - as the mind of Kabuki undergoes solitary cofinement and the mask is out of the picture, the same mind seems to bleed into the folds of the paper, stretching right out into the behind-the-scenes pages at the end. There is nothing groundbreaking story-wise here, but it feels like it fits into what Kabuki is as a series. Time to go back and start from Volume 1, I think.
Kabuki's presentation always blows me away, and this is no exception - as the mind of Kabuki undergoes solitary cofinement and the mask is out of the picture, the same mind seems to bleed into the folds of the paper, stretching right out into the behind-the-scenes pages at the end. There is nothing groundbreaking story-wise here, but it feels like it fits into what Kabuki is as a series. Time to go back and start from Volume 1, I think.
November 10, 2017
Mooi boek (zowel visueel als inhoudelijk) en goed los te lezen. Mack is met name inhoudelijk duidelijk beïnvloed door Alan Moore (met zelfs een verwijzing naar Watchmen met zijn 'fearful symmetry'). De afgebeelde vrouwen zijn wel wat overdreven erotisch afgebeeld, wat voor het verhaal niet altijd nodig is.
January 12, 2021
I love Macks work. The book before this was a travesty and doesn't even make sense in the 4th book. It's like it was completely skipped over. This book however is very interesting and visually stunning. Macks obsession with the female form is undeniable hahaha, and he goes to great lengths to portray many different women besides Kabuki in stunning compositions and mediums.
October 15, 2019
Topsy-turvy, folding back on itself, giving us background as we move forward through the story.
April 28, 2020
This is where Kabuki changes again to a type of prison break story. The layered art of Mack is top notch and the paranoid writing makes the story nail bitingly good.
May 11, 2022
Absolutely beautiful art. The plot is a little slow and completely rehashed in the next volume Metamorphosis, but this is worth having even if you don't want to read it. Just look at the pictures.
January 3, 2025
Stunning artwork� philosophical, almost spiritual, writing. Bad ass women. I loved.
May 15, 2017
The Kabuki series opened my eyes to the boundless potential of the graphic novel genre. Not only is the plot the definition of epic, but its gorgeous art style destroys expectations. The core of Kabuki is personal transformation � rewriting one’s identity, history, and culture to live a new narrative. It explores the binary of inner/outer self, with the motif of masks to protect/represent true self. I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve raved about this series to friends. It is an unforgettable contribution to the “war of art�.
CHARACTERS & KEY MOTIFS
The character of Kabuki is unravelled layer by layer throughout the series. In Vol. 1 Circle of Blood, she is a government assassin, hiding in plain sight as Noh TV’s Big Brother-esque weather reporter (“media as a manufacturer of public consent�). As a child, her identity was defined by her shameful facial scar, referencing her murdered mother the Kabuki dancer. Now, her Kabuki mask is her trademark and a motif vital to her story of transformation. Her narrative of fighting death to rewrite her future is powerfully uplifting to anyone who has lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.
Kabuki features a cast of deadly female characters, of whom we only get to the see the tip of the iceberg. In Vol 3. Masks of the Noh and Vol. 7 Scarab, Lost in Translation, each of the Noh operatives are portrayed by a different artist, with the aim to express their individuality through unique art styles. This technique made me mindful of each character having their own private world beyond the main Kabuki plot line.
THE WAR OF ART
When I first started reading graphic novels, I held expectations based on genre stereotypes â€� think panels, speech bubbles, and black and white art. However, the art of Kabuki surpasses my wildest expectations. In fact, Mack makes art like he’s never faced a boundary in his life. While the volumes are congruent as a series, each plays with whatever mediums best communicate the heart of that particular chapter. For example, Vol. 1 is an electrifying theatre of dark and light, while Vol. 2 ¶Ù°ù±ð²¹³¾²õâ€� drifts between life and death. Kabuki’s subconscious thought is represented by surreal mixed modal paintings, blending water colour, paper cut outs, photography, and lace. My personal favourite is the very “metaâ€� Vol. 7 The Alchemy, which celebrates as many textures and dimensions as you can imagine.
Just as the art goes over the lines, so does the story. When Akemi introduces Kabuki to the “war of art� in Vol. 7, it becomes clear that the series aims to be a subversive, stimulating contribution to culture � blurring reality and transcending the boundaries of traditional storytelling.
As a reader and as a content creator, Kabuki motivates me to look deeply at the world, and see past perceived boundaries to my creativity and identity. Keep Kabuki on your to-read or re-read list for any day you need to stoke your life’s fire.
This review can also be found on my blog
CHARACTERS & KEY MOTIFS
If you don’t like the story your culture is writing� It’s not enough to say you don’t subscribe to it� You have the obligation of writing your own story� To be a contributing author of your own culture � Kabuki Vol 7. The Alchemy
The character of Kabuki is unravelled layer by layer throughout the series. In Vol. 1 Circle of Blood, she is a government assassin, hiding in plain sight as Noh TV’s Big Brother-esque weather reporter (“media as a manufacturer of public consent�). As a child, her identity was defined by her shameful facial scar, referencing her murdered mother the Kabuki dancer. Now, her Kabuki mask is her trademark and a motif vital to her story of transformation. Her narrative of fighting death to rewrite her future is powerfully uplifting to anyone who has lost sight of the light at the end of the tunnel.
I didn’t have to be labeled by my scars, my job, my lineage, or my history. Once I learned to free myself on the inside, I became free on the outside as well � Kabuki Vol. 7 The Alchemy
Kabuki features a cast of deadly female characters, of whom we only get to the see the tip of the iceberg. In Vol 3. Masks of the Noh and Vol. 7 Scarab, Lost in Translation, each of the Noh operatives are portrayed by a different artist, with the aim to express their individuality through unique art styles. This technique made me mindful of each character having their own private world beyond the main Kabuki plot line.
The revolution is the action not the subject. Once the revolution becomes the institution, you have to revolt and revolve, all over again. Stagnation is death. Status quo is death. Celebrity is death. Once a government or agency is set up to worship itself and make itself richer, and forget the ideas it is founded on, it is no longer for the people, or by the people � Kabuki Vol. 7 The Alchemy
THE WAR OF ART
When I first started reading graphic novels, I held expectations based on genre stereotypes â€� think panels, speech bubbles, and black and white art. However, the art of Kabuki surpasses my wildest expectations. In fact, Mack makes art like he’s never faced a boundary in his life. While the volumes are congruent as a series, each plays with whatever mediums best communicate the heart of that particular chapter. For example, Vol. 1 is an electrifying theatre of dark and light, while Vol. 2 ¶Ù°ù±ð²¹³¾²õâ€� drifts between life and death. Kabuki’s subconscious thought is represented by surreal mixed modal paintings, blending water colour, paper cut outs, photography, and lace. My personal favourite is the very “metaâ€� Vol. 7 The Alchemy, which celebrates as many textures and dimensions as you can imagine.
Just as the art goes over the lines, so does the story. When Akemi introduces Kabuki to the “war of art� in Vol. 7, it becomes clear that the series aims to be a subversive, stimulating contribution to culture � blurring reality and transcending the boundaries of traditional storytelling.
Each letter is alive and fertile with intent of the idea� That is unlocked and activated when someone reads it � You must accept your role in the energy exchange by passing on your truth or story to those willing to unlock and open� and unfold that in themselves� Part of the global War of Art � Kabuki Vol. 7 The Alchemy
As a reader and as a content creator, Kabuki motivates me to look deeply at the world, and see past perceived boundaries to my creativity and identity. Keep Kabuki on your to-read or re-read list for any day you need to stoke your life’s fire.
This review can also be found on my blog
January 6, 2009
After dying and coming back to life for the second time, Skin Deep opens with a flash forward in which Kabuki has died yet again (or has she?). I know the whole dying and coming back to life thing is standard for comic books, but enough already.
Despite the action scenes at the beginning of this collection, most of the story is psychological. Kabuki has been captured by Control Corps, which places her in a mental institution. They play various mind games with her, attempting to get her to talk while she attempts to come to terms with her previous life. She receives notes from someone claiming to be a fellow inmate, but is it another trick?
While I was annoyed by David Mack's aren't-I-so-clever puns and pretentious philosophizing, his writing overall is fairly good and the artwork is beautiful. I felt cheated by the cliff hanger ending, but I suppose that's another standard technique for comics I should have been expecting.
Despite the action scenes at the beginning of this collection, most of the story is psychological. Kabuki has been captured by Control Corps, which places her in a mental institution. They play various mind games with her, attempting to get her to talk while she attempts to come to terms with her previous life. She receives notes from someone claiming to be a fellow inmate, but is it another trick?
While I was annoyed by David Mack's aren't-I-so-clever puns and pretentious philosophizing, his writing overall is fairly good and the artwork is beautiful. I felt cheated by the cliff hanger ending, but I suppose that's another standard technique for comics I should have been expecting.
February 9, 2009
As with Gaiman's Sandman, I'll get around to adding the entire series to my shelf, but I think Volume Three is my favorite. Kabuki is a government trained assassin, who wakes up in a corporate-run mental institution after being gunned down by her superiors.
The institution's idea of rehabilitation constitutes basically beating her and brain-washing her into believing her former life is one long psychotic episode. She resists with the help of another in-mate named Akemi.
The institution's idea of rehabilitation constitutes basically beating her and brain-washing her into believing her former life is one long psychotic episode. She resists with the help of another in-mate named Akemi.
December 23, 2007
This is the book where Mack's art and writing start to turn in a direction that I really like. The art is more collage-y, as is the writing. The plot fades into the background frequently, and philosophical and scientific ruminations surface in its place. Though its not my favorite volume of the series, I adore Skin Deep.
December 15, 2010
After Circle of blood I think most of the remaining books were a let down. Lovely, but they have nothing left to say, no tale to tell. Full of beautiful art I completely recommend them for the completest, but you don't really learn anything more about what happened, than what was inside Kabuki's head.
May 1, 2013
This one comes back on track with Mack's style and twisty turny exploration of self and purpose. So twisty and turny that there are times you need to turn the book around and upside down to read the text. Great stuff.
Want to read
April 15, 2007This guy is very artsy. I think I like it.
David
January 4, 2009
This graphic novel has more to say about psychiatric incarceration than most novels. Beautiful in every way.
February 9, 2010
Hey, some plot! Mostly it's just really pretty.
June 20, 2010
This is terrific! The graphic novel genre at its best.
November 17, 2010
Utterly compelling
August 16, 2007
loaned to Kevin 8/15/07
March 13, 2010
Somebody left this in my office, nice illustrations though.
September 29, 2013
Confusing, reflexive and beautifully made.
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