Samurai Jack #9

"Villainous Vortex" pits Samurai Jack against a gravity-manipulating machine which, not surprisingly, turns out to be controlled by the evil that is Aku. Samurai Jack #9 delivers a fun story featuring Jack in action against one of Aku's mechanical soldiers, but for the second straight issue the comic gives us no character interaction between Jack and anyone else. It's not a bad thing, but I think it would be very easy to see the comic fall into that template that ignores one of the strengths of the television show which spawned it.

Several of the best Samurai Jack episodes centered around the odd creatures and personalities Jack met in the future be they crazy Scotsmen, forest creatures who knew how to jump good, trapped Norse warriors, or even Aku in an attractive disguise. The character certainly lends himself to comics heavy on action and light on dialogue but the series needs to remember to allow Jack to interact with others from time to time as well. Worth a look.

[IDW, $3.99]