Writer: Ashok Banker
Artists: Raj Golay (breakdowns), R. Manikandan, S. Sundrakannan (colors)
Publisher: Virgin Comics
Having picked up the first issue of this series (one of four ongoings from the still spanking new, Virgin Comics) purely on a lark, I came off it with double minds. While on one hand, it seemed intriguing enough, I wasn’t too sure about adding it to my regular pull list (which was and still is bursting at the seams). It was for the same reason that it did not go on my pull list for issue #2. Even this issue #3 I only picked up because I was purchasing another Virgin title (Ramayan 3392 AD), and just like the Re-imagined Ramayn, it seems that "The Sadhu" too will be on my reading list for quite some time.
First things first: I have had it up to my neck in Indian history, especially the late 19th to mid 20th century kind. I don't have anything against it, but what else can be expected after having to study it for just about the whole of my mid and high school life. Still, the time period this comic book's story is set in is one of particular importance, not to mention fertile for countless stories (both the military and personal kind). Still, as Sadhu isn’t a history lesson, and even with the East Indian Company playing a major part within the story, this isn’t a specifically political comic book.
What it is, is the story of James Jenson, the man who (as it seems now) would be THE SADHU. Having missed the previous issue, I was grateful for the "recap" page that kicked off this issue. Since our last meeting things have seem to have gone bad for James..., well..., even bad is a severe understatement. Having lost his wife Tess, his son Jack, and also the unborn baby that Tess was carrying, and being beaten to within inches of death, James is still alive and free only because of the help of a friend, one who pays for this "Good Samaritan" act. Pursued and finally caught by the other soldiers (sent by the same man who killed his family, Colonel Townsend), James is saved by the "other side": the locals who had caught him before the soldiers, with their leader "Dadaji" literally whisking them away to safety.
After a short scene with Townsend and his superiors, in which the "political" side of the story flows forward (i.e. India is declared a British Colony), it's back to James and his new companions. What follows next is your standard "revelation" with Dadaji telling James who he is and James feeling that the old man just got those few extra fries to complete his happy meal and has gone of his rocker. Why? Well, according to Dadaji, it was foretold who, when and how will come to them and how he (i.e. Dadaji) is to go about to get that man to fall in line. The real kicker is that all this was told to the old man by none other than James, or rather a future self of him. Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting, Time Travel Paradoxes, Indian Style. The issue ends with James remembering…uh, something.
Conclusion: Although not my favorite, the art here still manages to hold its own and more so hold my interest to the story. As for the story, I hope that there is a set number of issues planned for the entire story (i.e. like Y: The Last Man), as I'm against dragging it the story, just for numbers sake.
You can find more reviews by Bruce L. at www.xcave.net
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