When I Became a Commoner They Broke off Our Engagement by Kenzi Oiwa

This manga is based on a light novel series of the same name, released in 2023. The premise of the series is as the title suggests – a noble lady being demoted to a commoner thus having her engagement broken off – but it is not the main impression of the story.

Simply put, the manga follows a young girl named Anna who ends up being kicked out by her noble family after it was discovered that she was switched at birth with their real daughter. Forced to forgo a sheltered, wealthy life, and even having her engagement with a young nobleman broken off, she quickly learns to adapt to the commoner lifestyle. In contrast, the real daughter, Annette, slowly learns to assimilate into the life of a noble lady whilst being made aware of and imposed into the complex, hierarchal systems of the nobility.

The manga mainly focusses on Anna’s perspective but it does an interesting job at providing the viewpoints of all the other characters – primarily of Annette, Henry (Annette’s older brother) and Edmund (Anna’s ex-fiancé). As we read and look at Anna’s journey navigating a new lifestyle there are instances that speak well to hers and the ignorance of some people to the lives of others. Although Anna is not an inherently bad person, we see how blindsided she is by the state of living and circumstances of people of the lower class. We can argue that she is only a 13-year-old girl so making her feel responsible for her lack of awareness is incredibly unfair, which is a great point to make. Except, Anna at first resolved to view commoners and their lifestyle as theatrical or otherworldly. For instance, she goes as far as calling commoners “superhuman” for not bathing every day, only eating twice a day and dressing in the same set of clothes for long periods of time.

However, after she began living with her otherwise destitute biological family, she began to learn how to overcome her new struggle by learning everything she possibly could to improve their way of life. She learns how to cook, to clean, to navigate the bustling marketplace and, finally, how to earn money and make a proper living. All of which she does by observing those around her like her biological mother and brothers.

On the other hand, there is Annette who also does her best to try adapting to nobility. The interesting thing about her scenario is that she less learns to adapt so she can become familiar with her new environment but does so because she is trying to be accepted by her new family. She validates her fragile heart by conforming to the strict lessons imposed by the nobility. And even though she does not like some of the ideals, like being married off at an age as young as 13, she swallows her frustration and hopes everything she learns from the nobles will help better the lifestyles of the commoner friends and family she was forced to snub – because commoners and nobles cannot mingle with each other.

It is Still a Typical Fantasy Manga

The exploration of identity and class differences is more than well written in When I Become a Commoner… but in typical fantasy manga fashion, it includes magic and a power system. To begin with, Anna and Annette were switched at birth not by human influence but by a trickster fairy who believed it would be fun to watch the two families quarrel in the future after discovering it had switched them.

Other than the fairies, there is how much magic and magical abilities are heavily held in high regard, especially by the high-ranking nobles. It follows the classic, ‘nobles should be born more powerful than the commoners’ trope. Another trope has to do with Anna herself. In a lot of isekai and fantasy manga, the main character is written to be OP (over-powered), acquiring and levelling-up their skills and abilities so that they have it easier in life and in any potential fights/battles. Anna learns from Klew (another fairy who is also friends with the mischievous, baby swapping fairy) how to use various magic types and skills so she can have it a little easier when living as a commoner. Just like learning ‘cleaning magic’ so she didn’t have to worry about not being able to bath every day.

The magic and magic system are not an integral part of the story but they do pop up to showcase how Anna is living just a little comfortably, and to showcase how much magic (specifically healing magic) is one of the highly regarded reasons Anna and Annette both try to find their purpose in their respective social spaces.

It is Not the Only Masterpiece

When I Became a Commoner… is one of those manga which are buried in an abyss of countless manga with the same or similar plot. It is a rare find that really captivates you and makes you wonder ‘why haven’t I read this before?’ Moreover, it reads quite well as a light-hearted think-piece on the deep-rooted circumstances of young girls in a world where their identities are measured by how much they are worth to their families, future husbands and social spaces. The ‘poor vs. rich’ viewpoints gives you as the reader a chance to both relate to the characters and to sympathise with those in positions you may not otherwise understand.

There are other masterpieces out there with long titles but still manage to draw you in. One of the most popular ones out there is That Time I Got Reincarnated into a Slime. The story was so good as a light novel that it received an anime adaptation before being adapted into a manga – which they later did following the anime’s popularity. Even though the story is quote-unquote ‘very isekai-ish’, it explores political, economic, societal, and discriminatory ideologies that communicate comprehensively to viewers of the anime.

In short, there is a high number of manga out there with ridiculously long titles. Although a lot are sloppy and overrated at best, some authors of the works actually put in the work to create fascinating stories. Some may say with all these light novel and manga authors heavily competing for audience attention, they make it easier for readers by displaying their works’ premise in the title (hence why they are long). In spite of that, we still manage to find them and enjoy rare works of art.

Staff Writer; Fadzai Nyamande

A South African who brings her love for fiction, manga, and storytelling into every piece she creates. Her writing is shaped by imagination, curiosity, and a true appreciation for the worlds stories can build.

Feel free to drop a note at; FadzaiN@AfroGamers.com.

Ranking Systems in the Imperial Palace

This goes back to Ancient China when emperors were permitted to take as many women to be their wives as they wanted – within the bounds of traditional rules and customs of course. The women who would enter the palace to wed the emperor were made to follow one of these traditional customs, which was the imperial concubine ranking system. This entailed them occupying a position that granted them a certain amount of comforts and power within the imperial palace. As simple as it sounds, there were factors that went into which rank a woman was placed in. To begin with, the emperor, their husband, was the one that ranked them and he did that by looking at how prominent a woman’s family background was, their ability to have children, and also whether they were talented enough to receive his favour – in other words, were they worth enough to receive his affection. Different Chinese dynasties had different ranking systems that were sometimes based on what the emperor at the time wanted.

Simplified, the ranking system consisted of the empress, the emperor’s main wife, consorts and concubines. In all these systems there would only ever be one empress. Other ranks could come and go, but she always remained. Nonetheless, the ranks of the imperial wives served different purposes but the predominant purpose was to maintain court dynamics. Which often spawned court and palace intrigue.

Is the Web novel any good?

To answer whether or not The Job of an Imperial Concubine is a good read: Yes, the web novel is a first-rate read. On the surface, it is well written, the characters are properly fleshed out and although it feels more slice of life, there is enough plot and drama to keep the reader wanting more. The protagonist of the web novel, Zhaung Laoyan, is the perfect definition of a go getter and a woman who strives to live comfortably and luxuriously – even if it means throwing her dignity away to make that happen.

Like a lot of Asian web novels out there, The Job of an Imperial Concubine is tagged as a transmigration story. Zhaung Laoyan, our female protagonist was an older woman working corporate as a PR manager before she passed away and found herself in the body of one of Emperor Feng Jin’s concubines in ancient China. The era can be described as a fictional version inspired by the real-world Han and Qing Dynasties. Throughout the coming chapters, Zhaung Laoyan is consistently bound by strict palace rules whilst being forced into the schemes of the emperor’s other wives. But what the story is unique in is its not so unique type of plot of how our female protagonist does not have a golden finger. What that means is, Zhaung Laoyan doesn’t have any special talent or skill that really distinguishes her from the other characters, besides being a transmigrator who is smart enough to survive the imperial palace’s treacherous schemes. In that way, she can be mistaken as a background character turned protagonist.

An interesting detail that makes the web novel a great read is how well Emperor Feng Jin doesn’t love any of his wives or at least is good at pretending he doesn’t love them. Anyone can find this type of character refreshing. Moreover, he constantly manipulates even the ones he cares just a little for, simply to maintain the systemic relationship the women of the harem are all meant to fit into. At any part of the novel, whenever you read from his perspective, there is an involuntary feeling of holding one’s breath because you never know what he is really up to. Just like when – SPOILER ALERT – he married a performer because he “liked her dancing”, only for him to later on let her be framed for a murder she didn’t commit. The reason for that? He was letting his other wives vent their anger and jealousy on her for being the ‘new, pretty’ wife in the harem.

Similar Chinese Short Dramas

There have actually been a couple Chinese dramas that follow the same or similar plot as The Job of an Imperial Concubine. Especially Chinese vertical short dramas – just like the ones you see on TikTok and YouTube. An example of this is the short drama called: Reborn, she was forced into palace for sister, won emperor’s heart, and became supreme empress and Modern Consort’s Guide to Rising in Rank, that you can both find and watch on YouTube.

Modern Consort’s Guide definitely differs from the web novel and the similarities lie in how the transmigrator concubine, strives to survive in the cutthroat palace environment by seducing the Emperor and rising to be his most favoured wife. Unlike the novel, however, the concubine blatantly says she wants to be the most powerful woman in the palace whereas Zhaung Laoyan just wants to relax and stay out of drama as much as she can – she just knows the only way to do that is to stay on the Emperor’s good side, always. Another obvious difference is how the web novel takes on a more serious tone but the short drama is more comedic with a couple of overly exaggerated scenes, like how the emperor “called for water” seventeen times during his first night with the female protagonist.

But then we have the Reborn…and became supreme empress short drama that matches the web novel’s tone the most – excluding the mandatory cringey and exaggerated scenes found in every Chinese vertical drama. The drama focusses on Shen Zhinian, the female protagonist, and how she gets revenge on her sister for murdering her in her past life by gaining the emperor’s favour and rising in rank in the harem. The whole drama shows how Shen Zhinian manipulates the emperor and makes sure the schemes of the other women in the harem go back to bite them. It is an interesting watch when you are someone who appreciates a character who, against all odds, uses their brains more than their brawn.

To sum it all up, The Job of an Imperial Concubine is a Chinese web novel that encapsulates the transmigration aspects of most Asian web novels but introduces realistic characters, in a realistic setting with realistic consequences. Those of us who consciously look out for good, bingeworthy reads set in historical eras can really value this one.

Staff Writer; Fadzai Nyamande

A South African who brings her love for fiction, manga, and storytelling into every piece she creates. Her writing is shaped by imagination, curiosity, and a true appreciation for the worlds stories can build.

Feel free to drop a note at; FadzaiN@AfroGamers.com.

Following this train of thought, we are going to discuss the recurring types of evil sisters who keep sweeping across multiple manhwa and manga today, as well as identifying whether there are any that exploit the trope interestingly.

The ‘steal your fiancé’ Evil Sister

This type of evil sister is quite self-explanatory from the title alone, as her main objective for part of or throughout the story is to steal her own sibling’s fiancé – or in the words of historical romances, her betrothed. There can be different reasons for why the antagonistic sister finds the need to do this, except her expressed feelings on the matter always have to do with hating her sister. One reason for the hate can be the evil sister feeling inferior to her ‘good’ sister. For example, in My Sister Covets My Fiancé, Katherine feels threatened by her little sister, Neris, simply because she is another daughter to be loved and cared for by the family – instead of it just being her alone. By taking advantage of their parents favouring her more over the sister she hates, Katherine feels more confident causing trouble and making life more difficult and miserable for Neris – just like seducing the man she loved would do.

The ‘steal your fiancé’ scheme has typically been portrayed as part of establishing one sister as the story’s antagonist whilst being used for the other sister as a learning opportunity to become a better version of herself without seeking the male validation she had previously sort out.

Even with this idea being overused over and over again, some stories slip through in their unique employment of the trope. Such as the manga, Proud to be the Villainess, where the trope is completely subverted by having the ‘evil’, fiancé-stealing sister turn out to be good and not as malicious as she had previously portrayed herself to be – in other words, the evil sister was written to be an unreliable narrator.

The “I’m the real daughter” Evil Sister

“I’m the real daughter” is a phrase that goes hand-in-hand with the fake daughter trope often seen in Asian media like Chinese dramas and Korean dramas. There are comics that follow the same template as these dramas whereby the rich, real daughter and poor, fake daughter are switched at birth and years later into the plot conflict arises because of that switch. However, what manhwa and manga do differently is that they deliberately have the so-called ‘real daughter’ be unkind in her intentions towards the ‘fake daughter’ whilst she tries to get her biological family to cast the fake one out.

As a narrative strategy, the “I’m the real daughter” situation can be seen as a way to evoke sympathy from the readers for the fake daughter who may or not have to experience rejection from the family she once knew and loved. Though, as a plot device, it can be used to reveal how critical an introduced character can be beyond what is directly stated at the beginning of the story. Looking at I Am the Real One, the identity crisis of who the biological daughter of the Grand Duke is-is a significant part of the story yet acts to present dramatic irony (where the readers know information the characters don’t) regarding the conspiracies revolving Cosette (the ‘real’ daughter) which have to do with the actual reason she decided to reunite with her biological father.

The ‘power is mine’ Evil Sister

This is quite the interesting variation of the evil sister because of how it can easily turn the manga/manhwa from a slice of life or romance story to a drama or even a horror. A key element involving this type of sister is usually the inclusion of fantasy and how it can go from being mesmerising to horrifying as quickly as the first panels of the first chapter. Just as we see in Into the Light, Once Again, with the antagonist Marianne (the evil sister) manipulating her entire family into hating and inevitably executing her sister Alisa; only after torturing her.

An interesting note to also make on the ‘power is mine’ evil sister type is how they can include the first two types of evil sisters discussed above. That is because in seeking ultimate power, the evil sister may aim to establish herself as the only ‘necessary’ or ‘real’ daughter of the family and doing so by having everything that is her ‘good’ sister’s (like her inheritance and her lover) be attained and made solely her own – just like we see with Katherine from My Sister Covets My Fiancé and Lorena from A World Without You. In which case, this type of evil sister can easily be described as power-hungry, attention-seeking, and covetous. And because of that, they never fail to receive the utmost frustration, infuriation and disdain from most readers of their respective manhwa.

Staff Writer; Fadzai Nyamande

A South African who brings her love for fiction, manga, and storytelling into every piece she creates. Her writing is shaped by imagination, curiosity, and a true appreciation for the worlds stories can build.

Feel free to drop a note at; FadzaiN@AfroGamers.com.

Knowing this, going back and reading the series would beg the question “Why?” At least for some. Between the character’s creation in August 1962 and the publishing of Ultimate Spider-Man in October 2000, we would see multiple comics, cartoons, and films focusing on a teenage Peter Parker coming into his powers and facing off against familiar villains.

In short, the concept was tired and ran down. That’s why Miles Morales was received so well. It was something new and half of the original team—Bendis—returned and deliver on the execution. That’s where the original Ultimate Spider-Man gets a chance. Execution.

Bendis could’ve given us the exact same tale but Marvel would’ve gone for it. Plus, the rest of the Ultimate Marvel universe was focused on a modern spin on classic heroes. So, is Ultimate Spider-Man worth a read? Let’s find out.

Ultimate Spider-Man (2000-2009)

This series was basically the flagship for the Ultimate Marvel lineup. Sure, there was a whole Ultimates comic there but this was Spidey’s show. Hell, Ultimates wasn’t even the longest running in the lineup since it was completed in under a year following thirteen issues. Sure, it came back in 2005 and once more in 2008, but again it was out after thirteen and six issues respectively.

Ultimate Spider-Man went 133 issues over eight years. That’s nothing to sneeze at. The only other series in that line to come close were Ultimate X-Men which got a hundred issues across eight years and Ultimate Fantastic Four, which was given sixty issues across five years. Of course, the Fantastic Four should’ve gotten that many since it was the Marvel Universe’s top team for decades and the X-Men are the X-Men. Everyone loves the X-Men because everyone has at least one favorite mutant and stories are often timeless.

That Sliding Timeline

First thing’s first, Ultimate Spider-Man as well as the entire Ultimate Marvel line still worked within Marvel’s janky “sliding timeline.” While the sliding timeline isn’t particularly confusing, it leaves a ton of things unanswered. Namely, the fact Captain America fought in World War II which is depicted in the Marvel Universe, referenced frequently but never establishes a concrete timeline.

There’s a good reason for this. Business-wise, Marvel wrote itself into a box where it has a number of popular, established characters that it doesn’t want to phase out entirely. As a result, most characters don’t age, they get numerous stories.

Marvel explains that these stories happened in just a few decades and don’t go by real time. Okay…I guess. To bolster this, the numerous incidents of time traveling and time tampering affected Marvel’s time to some odd degree. Alright, we’re getting to something that makes some canonical sense. As far as the Ultimate Marvel universe is concerned, it shouldn’t be impacted by anything of this until the Secret Wars storyline in 2015.

Honestly, its why I’m more of an Astro City/Valiant Comics reader. The timeline is what it is and the timeline goes straight forward—even with instances of time travel being an important part of Astro City.

Content

In regards to the artwork and writing, both were extremely good. The execution in a modern retelling of Peter Parker’s life as Spider-Man worked here. Some people didn’t care for it but that’s often the case with comics, right? But I felt they really hit it out the park. I got back into comics in 2007 because of Ultimate Spider-Man.

The main line of comics in both Marvel and DC can be hard to get into. This isn’t because the stories aren’t any good, its that so much happens across multiple series in the period of a year that it can be hard to jump in. And if you manage to jump in, you have to keep up. American comics often aren’t linear, they weave in with other series in a shared universe and a significant event of a larger story arc might be referenced.

This is also the case with Ultimate Marvel but since it started with a handful of series and didn’t run for decades and decades, its pretty easy to get into and read through all the series. Of the series, Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men were the most appealing. Bendis’ Spider-Man isn’t much different from the teenage Spidey we’re familiar with but the series entire eight year focus was just on teen Spidey.

This was something I loved because Spidey in college simply didn’t appeal to me too much and adult Spidey didn’t either. The stories were great, mind you but I just could be bothered with his adult drama. I wanted superpowered fights and Parker’s wittiness. Ultimate Spider-Man gave you both with the risk of being a teen and having to keep up his identity.

To a degree, it was something you probably missed out on if you got into Spider-Man at a certain time and didn’t go back read the early stuff.

Pull or Pass

I’ll say that Ultimate Spider-Man gets a pull. There’s great artwork, great writing, and I have to add—the covers are dope. They’ve been out for over a decade now—almost twenty years which is wild—so you’ll do better picking them up in graphic novel format. If you’re not up for buying all 27 books—although the first 22 is the main run—chances are your public library has them or can hold them. That’s how I went through them anyway. The Marvel Unlimited service is also a good way to read them.

RATING: 8.5 out of 10 (Recommended)

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Judge Cal

Originally a Deputy Chief Judge, Judge Cal wasn’t in his position for long at just a year. Prior to that, he served as head of the Special Judicial Squad—basically the Internal Affairs of the Justice Department. Tasked with keeping the judges honest, Judge Cal aspired for more power and the coveted Chief Judge position.

He made his way up the ranks via blackmail and forcing some Judges to become his hitmen. Rivals and allies were either kept in line or found themselves with a bit of permanent misfortune. Eventually, Cal became Deputy Chief. He was within distance of his goal. All he needed was to get rid of Judge Goodman. Luckily, he had some support in the way of Judges who had since become corrupted.

When Judge Cal made his move, it was already a wrap for Judge Goodman. Prior to this, his mind had been taken over, the Robot Wars had seen the population of Mega-City One take a hit, and there was uncertainty of Judge Dredd’s return from the Cursed Earth. While Dredd did return, it all took a toll on the man. This made him easy pickings for Cal who enacted a plan to have Dredd arrested for the killing of a civilian.

Dredd was sent to jail on Titan but managed to get free and clear himself. Revealing it was a robot made to look like the lawman. Since the information the robot used came from within the Department, the hunt for the man who set Dredd up was on. The whole time that Dredd was away, Chief Judge Goodman fell apart allowing for Cal to go forward with taking over. He would go on to have the mayor of Mega-City One imprisoned, Dredd shot, and Goodman killed.

Caligula’s Reign

Even though Dredd would recover—because Dredd never loses and he’s never out for too long—Cal was able to go on with his plans for Mega-City One. While he was a corrupt official who wanted power for himself, he was also an authoritarian and put the city in a state of martial law. He was also able to brainwash the majority of the judges to not question him.

The power went to Cal’s head and he became insane to the point his goldfish was appointed to his old position and is now Deputy Chief Judge Fish. At his side were two judges, one of which Cal eventually betrayed when they questioned his sanity. There was a group of citizens who banded together to fight against Cal’s reign but they were crushed by the reptile alien Kleggs that the Chief Judge brought in. As punishment, Cal had citizens executed in alphabetical order.

As expected, some citizens decided to flee the city when it was gathered that Cal was totally gone. This meant they would’ve taken their chances in the Cursed Earth. Unfortunately, the Chief Judge forced them to stay and build the wall that would keep them in. When Dredd recovered, he set about taking the fight to Cal with the help of a few almost retired judges, protege Judge Giant and his own mentor Judge Griffin.

In heading underground, he enlisted the help of the criminal Fergee. Knowing that Dredd was coming for him, Cal enlisted the help of Kleggs. The final dance for Chief Judge Cal came when he was planning to destroy Mega-City One in attempt to freeze his reign at the height of perfection—at least he felt it was a perfect reign. Dredd’s forces managed to defeat the Kleggs but were captured by Cal’s forces.

As it often happens, whenever there seems to be no way out for Dredd, he always survives thanks to some improbable shot or an ally. In this case, Fergee came through and killed Chief Judge Cal by throwing him to his death and preventing the plot.

Pull or Pass

Dredd was once again given all the kudos and it was expected that he’d become Chief Judge. He instead nominated Chief Griffin in his place, wanting to remain where the action is. Which is great, because without Dredd Mega-City One would’ve continued to lose more of its population. I mean, we’re talking over 40 years of stories and this city just gets the rough end of disasters and the like.

So is this one pull-worthy or could you pass it and read it if you come across it? It’s definitely pull-worthy purely for the peak insanity and chaos wreaked by Judge Cal. You expect Judge Dredd to pull a victory out but you’re really wondering how long will it take and how much more will Cal amp up the chaos before he does.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Against the Gods in a Nutshell

AtG is a very entertaining but occasionally head scratch-inducing series. It comes from a period when murim literature could run for a long time and was often well-paced. However, that same period also saw a number of webnovels get the manhua treatment and was often faster-paced.

We also have a lot of similar-looking protagonists, similar-looking love interests, oppressive branch families, close friends (often nicknamed Fatty), oppressive elders and seniors, and a spirit mentor who knows everything about the martial world.

Actually, Bloodstained Jasmine wasn’t a spirit mentor so much as a wounded master who could only exist with one of our hero’s spatial hand -cauldron. There are many story arcs detailing Yun Che’s rise from a teenager with busted meridians who could practice mystical martial arts to the world’s greatest martial artist.

This path is paved with defeated enemies via Yun Che’s plot armor-heavy bulldozer-grade power. Yun is extremely powerful thanks to being a regressor. He experienced three lives and was sent back to his first life as Xiao Che after taking his own life at 27 during his second life.

In his second life, he had become a great doctor, a medical genius who could use herbs, profound strength, and acupuncture to heal. When his adoptive father and master is killed by others coveting his Sky Poison Pearl (a powerful healing treasure), he takes the Pearl and goes on a warpath killing millions with poison powers.

When the martial alliance of that time responded and eventually cornered him, he merged with the Sky Poison Pearl. As a result, he reincarnated in his first life with the foundation of his plot armor in this series.

Yun Che is a Frustrating Hero

Without giving away specific storylines beyond his origin, Yun Che’ is both cunning and brash. He has a high degree of comprehension and learning that sees his become powerful rapidly but there are several times when that ability could’ve gone to waste. This is often caused either by him talking himself into a situation where someone might just pack him up or he just can’t help his curiosity and greed.

Now, heroes in martial fantasy stories are adventurous and that’s part of the fun in reading the series. However, in early adventures Yun Che was often in over his head and had to rely on Bloodstained Jasmine to bail him out at times. Mind you, this is usually after she warns him against his actions.

Without being young and dumb, he wouldn’t have gained many treasures and abilities. Plus, he had to do those to gain power and get stronger so he could protect himself, loved ones, and keep his promise to Jasmine.

Promises and Ladies

Speaking of promises, Yun Che racks up a lot of promises to keep. It keeps the ball rolling with his story as these promises are the costs for him getting many of the abilities, skills, and treasures. Promises are also how we draws his many wives and concubines. There are several times when his interactions with his love interests are unrealistic with most of the women being just smitten with him for his cunning, power, bravery and daring-do.

The only love interests who show some common sense and resistance to his wiles are those from the Frozen Cloud Asgard (including his first wife), a martial arts sect made up of beautiful women but that’s because they’re trained to largely sever ties with emotions and previous connections. Even then, Yun Che is such a casanova, some of them fall to him.

There are other elements in Against the Gods that leave me excited for battles or Yun Che administering justice yet shaking my head at him heading into high danger but escaping death (rarely narrowly). The flaws aside, it’s one of those series synonymous with manhua and this genre of action-adventure.

Overall it’s a fun series worth reading with plenty of chapters and battles.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

It’s something he’s always been applauded for because it’s one of the works that heavily influenced fantasy literature, games, and television going forward. One doesn’t simply decide to do fantasy.

Hell, one doesn’t simply decide to write fiction but if you’re going to do it, a lot planning is in order and depending on the genre, you’ll need to use that imagination, play God, and create some history, landscapes—a whole planet maybe—what else? Oh, you’ll need a lot characters, maybe some politics, definitely cultures, wars—a lot goes into world building but that’s the beauty of lore, right?

All of this stuff that writers think of is incomplete to some degree. That’s because the worlds that are created are so vast and often feature so many people and cultures, there’s no way things just end where the story ends. There will always be room for more adventures, opportunities to follow new characters, new challenges, mysteries, threats, and changes to the world.

In reality, no fantasy or sci-fi series should truly end. Most should eventually be moved on to a protege if the creator wants to move on but since these are living, ever-changing worlds that writers create—where is the actual end? Sure, a character’s story might end but that’s just them. That’s the end of a particular franchise.

Tying It All Together

Without knowing it, a series automatically spawns a franchise just by introducing some characters and letting others live on. Beyond the character, the world itself spawns a franchise because we’re just focusing on this particular story.

It’s why Star Trek and Star Wars are great franchises. You’d think these were stories told over centuries but only a few series are told far from the modern day of the franchise. Actually, the entries would all fall within decades going by the pivot events in each franchise. The events of The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine occurred in the same timeline and at the same time, for instance.

Things that occurred in The Original Series and its films impacted TNG, DS9, and Voyager. Having a tight timeline goes a long way in solidifying your world building and introducing characters. Without it, you get some willy-nilly stuff where characters and events are constantly retconned—like DC and Marvel’s stuff after the big summer storyline seems like a great idea.

Until a new team of writers comes in, look at what they’re working off of, and whip out the red pen. Remember, writers, game developers, artists—they’re all fans of this stuff too. A lot of the work by future, younger writers and teams is professional fanfiction to a degree—if they were fans of the character they get to write.

Fans would know the ins and outs of a character and have their own ideas of shaping that character going forward. Their ideas might build on the lore, but changes and adjustments will be made. It’s why Peter Parker hovers between being a broke college student in the super science field who lives off pictures of himself and a cutting-edge researcher.

Someone comes in and decides either “Peter is a grown ass man and it’s time for him to move on in life” or “Everyone liked Peter when he was down horrendous and staying with his aunt.”

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

A Dieselfunk Landmark

Before we move forward, dieselfunk, in the shortest sense, is dieselpunk with a Black perspective. Dieselpunk itself is sci-fi or fantasy based on the diesel age between the 1920s up into the 1950s. The dieselpunk element can be seen as mostly aesthetic for setting-sake but sometimes social issues of that period in history are addressed. I’d say dieselfunk handles social issues better since it is focused on Black and brown characters in a dieselpunk setting.

Definite settings are the 3D-era titles in the Fallout franchise and Batman: The Animated Series’ more sci-fi oriented stories. Speaking of Batman, this brings us back to The Scythe. The book is steeped in dieselfunk but is definitely a superhero book as well as a pulp novel.

It’s fast-paced, the history and culture is obviously researched, the fight scenes are excellent, and when folklore is explored and woven into the origin of The Scythe’s power? Flawless. This would’ve made a great comic book or the jump off point for MVmedia to get into comics.

Oh and There’s Vampires!

So, Dr. A.C. Jackson originally tries to settle in Tulsa during the early 1920s. He’s got a practice on Greenwood and its bustling–then the Tulsa Riot happens. His business along with many others are destroyed. Jackson’s neighbors, friends, and clients are killed in the carnage. The good doctor is near death when a spirit from another realm makes a deal with him. Armed with powers beyond human comprehension, Dr. Jackson goes about taking revenge on everyone involved.

Several years later, he settles in Atlanta and establishes a new practice under a different name. His existence in Atlanta results in him running afoul of the Klan which has ties to vampirism in the city. In addition to this, there are diesel-power death machines, card slinging assassins, and vampires.

The Scythe isn’t alone in his battle–or is he? As the book goes on, all of the conspiracy, African mysticism, and occult vibes blend together is this lore stew.

Verdict

You have a good amount of lore based on African folklore here, but you also have very strong fight scenes. The action is on par with Steven Barnes’ StreetLethal–also worth checking out. When you add this with the aforementioned fast pace of The Scythe, it’s a sprinty read. You would think you’ll read this for awhile but Balogun Ojetade moves the story along. Sure, he explains a lot of background, he has a strength for world building. That said, he makes sure the dial is at 10 on adventure.

So, should you give it a read? I’d say if you’re looking for some new sci-fi that isn’t bogged down with explaining things in great deal, try The Scythe. It’s a good break from hard sci-fi and you might explore a new genre if you’re not familiar with the many corners of Black SFF.

The only con to this book is that a sequel hasn’t been dropped yet. It needs a sequel or to spin off into a larger universe. Ojetade and Davis have been busy with other novels and the new tabletop game they released.

Who knows, maybe there will be a book two for The Scythe.

RATING:8 out of 10 (Highly Recommended)

Purchase Book over at Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Balogun-Ojetade-ebook/dp/B00I6QQNAG.

Staff Writer; M. Swift

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.