“Search for Hu” #1 is a nifty action thriller wrapped up in gangster and historical fiction trappings. The story catapults forward from the very first pages, and what starts in a quiet town quickly escalates to an international, intergenerational bloodbath. While anchored by an intriguing plot hook, “Search for Hu” #1 has its road bumps. Let’s talk about what works in this story, and what we’re looking for in future issues.
RubineWritten by Steve Orlando and Jon Tsuei
Illustrated by Rubine
Colored by DC Alonso
Lettered by Carlos M. MangualAaron Tse lives for his family, and if he’s not careful, he’ll die for its secrets. When he left the military, Aaron Tse’s first thought was providing for his aging parents. His parents’ bar is experiencing hard times, and one night it’s shot to hell, with his parents critically injured in the attack. But this was no ordinary robbery — Aaron’s mother reveals that she fled China to escape a blood feud between the Jewish and Chinese sides of her family…both of which are powerful organized crime families.
Written by Jon Tsuei (Sera and the Royal Stars, RunLoveKill) and Steve Orlando (Martian Man-hunter, Wonder Woman, KILL A MAN, PROJECT PATRON) and drawn by artist sensation Rubine, SEARCH FOR HU is a fast-paced, action-packed exploration of complex cultural histories, pow-ered by a bloody family feud.
We’ll start this off with a personal aside. I’m kind of a Jewish history nerd. On late nights when I’m not writing comic reviews, I’m neck deep in Wikipedia tabs reading up on the History of the Jews in countries you’d struggle to pinpoint on a map. Hell, I even studied the stuff in college. With that in mind, it’s hard to come by an anecdote of Jewish history I haven’t at least heard of in passing. And while I have a general knowledge of the history of Jews in China (the Kaifeng community, the Shanghai Ghetto), the episode of history referenced in “Search for Hu” #1 was new to me. Apparently, in the early 20th century, Jews fleeing persecution in Russia fled to China, where they assimilated over time. Interesting! On it’s face, I commend the team responsible for “Search for Hu” #1, which foregrounds this moment in history. It’s rare that comics gives us representation of Jews outside the American (or Israeli) context. We’re all for it, and the hook of Chinese x Jewish gang wars in East Asia packs one hell of a punch.
However, a strong concept does not make for an unassailable comic. “Search for Hu” #1 sometimes struggles on the narrative front. The story begins with one page worth of family introduction between Aaron and his parents, who are cute and humble but not exactly exciting, nor is there anything particular emotional about their bond. There should be a little more pathos, given the fact that in the next scene both his parents get shot while working at the bar. But then a page or two later, and they’re doing great in the hospital! (Okay, Aaron’s father is still unconscious but recovering.) Things just move a bit too quickly, and there’s not quite enough time for the emotional connections between family members to set. We care about Aaron’s family because caring about your parents not being murdered is, perhaps, an innate human feeling, but not because there’s anything particularly interesting about them.
The pedal hits the metal harder in the next sequence, as a group of assassins enter the hospital but are quickly dispatched by Aaron, right there in the lobby. Then the cops show up, see Aaron surrounded by three dead dudes, and let him off the hook because he just says they were there to see his parents. The cop gives Aaron his card and lets him on his merry way. Look, we get that in comics things move fast, but in “Search for Hu” #1 moments like this feel quizzical, and we can only suspend our disbelief so much. Additionally, this goes down all before page 12. Oh, and there’s some exposition packed in there as well where the whole secret Jewish history gets unpacked in a pretty direct monologue from Aaron’s mom. To be honest, we feel that the above was enough content for an entire first issue.
Continued belowThere’s a lot about Aaron’s character we’re eager to discover, that could perhaps make some of the above make more sense. Is he just an average war veteran, or does he have more clearance and connections than has been teased? What’s the story with his contact in Korea? From a narrative perspective, we hope to get some of these answers in future issues, and for the pace to slow down a little bit. There’s a lot in “Search for Hu” that could use a good simmer — let’s get those emotional tensions juiced and flowing!
From a visual perspective, “Search for Hu” #1 is strong, there’s no question there. Rubine’s strength lies in character design and expression. While the dialogue in “Search for Hu” #1 is sometimes clever but sometimes just good enough, the character art is always expressive. Aaron served many looks in “Search for Hu” #1, and each one gives us a little more insight to his character. By the end of the first issue, we understand him not just as a good killer, but as a deep thinker and pensive soul (ah, the duality of Man).
The action sequences in “Search for Hu” #1 are also strong, and the illustrations have a lot of visual depth and angles that give the scenes a powerful sense of momentum. The shoot out in the lounge at the end of “Search for Hu” #1 is exemplary of this, with some satisfying bodies-hitting-the-floor moments. Mangual’s color work adds a lot in that sense, as the blood smears here are painted on heavy with a lot of splatter. Some shots feel like they’re straight out of The Raid. The colors in “Search for Hu” #1 are crisp throughout and add a sense of contemporaneousness to the story. Despite the narrative flaws, the thing looks fresh.
We’re interested in seeing what future issues of “Search for Hu” have to offer. If the narrative can grow to match the sleekness of the art, we’ll be in business. The plot hooks here are so unique that we have to imagine there’s more intrigue to come in following issues.
Final Verdict: 6.9. Strong concept that needs a bit of a stronger execution before things take off.
