This review is for volumes 5-8
These volumes are where the graphic novels kind of cross paths with the first movie. Governor Yu and Jen make their appearance. So does Dark Cloud and his desert raiders. Jade Fox is married to Mr. Gao, a mentor to Jen and a servant to Governor Yu. The big difference between the comics and the film is Mr. Gao. He is the hidden kung fu master that betrays Jade Fox. He and Mu Bai have a series of fights that eat up a lot of pages. Like A LOT. Short fights with explanations of the techniques are fun. Two volumes full of fighting, with play-by-plays of the action, eh?
There is one good thing about being 8 volumes in; you can start seeing the parallels between the characters. The forbidden love between Shu Lien and Mu Bai is similar to Jen and Dark Cloud. The quest for vengeance from, well, pretty much everyone. I'm not sure if it's bad storytelling, sharing the same stories with several characters, or if its great storytelling? But, outside of the fight scenes, I enjoyed getting to know these character better.
Many other reviewers warn me away from the next 4 volumes. I've heard a variety of reasons why the quality drops off. My guess is that Seto was getting worn out. The story is there, written already by Wang Du Lu. The artwork is always impeccable. Beautiful, immaculate, magical. I don't know if anyone could keep that up for years and years.
Maybe I will see if I can get the books on amazon? Who am I to not finish a story?