Over the course of its lifespan, the Tekken series has accrued over 40 characters. In Tekken Volume 1, Cavan Scott (writer) chooses to focus on a small handful of characters from the series’ history. Doing so means that Scot is more able to flesh out the characters that he has chosen to highlight.
The character who receives the most attention is Jin Kazama. Much of the book’s plot centres around his struggle to contain the devil gene, and his attempts to make up for actions he took while leading his grandfather’s company. He is the only character to receive an arc in Tekken Volume 1, as he tries to avoid turning into the same monster that his father (Kazuya Mishima) became.
Jin is the main character of the book, but other characters get some time to shine. Heihachi Mishima shows up with a suitably devious plan, Paul Phoenix offers the comics banter, and Nina Williams helps to keep the plot moving. None of these characters feels perfunctory, vindicating Scott’s decision not to include a larger cast.
The plot of Tekken Volume 1 is set after the events of Tekken 6. The book avoids referencing too much Tekken backstory, and editor books are on hand to fill in the uninitiated, but a small amount of previous knowledge of the series is required. Scott uses the plot of the games as a starting point to tell an original story in Tekken Volume 1. Established fans of the franchise will undoubtedly get more out of this book, assuming the absence of a particular favourite character isn’t a deal breaker.
Andie Tong handles the book’s art. Tong’s work has captured the feel of Tekken’s combat. When the characters are fighting their moves look much like they would in game.
Tekken Volume 1 is an adaptation that is faithful to the spirit of its source material. This is down to Scott not attempting to shoehorn too much of the series into one comic, and Tang’s art accurately translating the visual experience of the games from screen to page. Tekken finally has a good comic.
TEKKEN VOLUME 1 / WRITER: CAVAN SCOTT / ARTIST: ANDIE TONG / PUBLISHER: TITAN COMICS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
