"Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi" (The Comic) Vol. 1 Review

By Teepu

For fans of Mo Dao Zu Shi (Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) it’s always fun to get different adaptations. One thing we’ve been lacking is a comic/manhua adaptation, but on March 7th the English translation of the comic adaptation will finally be available. I had the chance to read through the first volume and here are my impressions.

The comic starts with a quick summary of the four main characters before diving right into the story. For those not familiar, this story is about Wei Wuxian, a man who had died and was reincarnated. It follows his adventures and self-discovery after not fully understanding who was responsible for his resurrection. Seeing as this is based on a multi-book series, the comic will also be a multi-volume series in order to adapt the entire tale. This volume is split into 20 chapters running a little over 200 pages.

The supernatural tale set in ancient China dives right in with Wei Wuxian’s resurrection. It is a bit of a confusing set of events that seem disconnected for the first half of the book. They don’t do a very good job of clarifying what’s going on, with only the random little footnote, so I spent most of the time not quite following the order of events and the purpose of what was happening. That changes quickly in the second half of book where things start to come together, and there’s a sense of focus as to what our main character is trying to do. I don’t want to go into too much detail for those who are new to the tale but I will say that, despite a confusing start, by the end of the comic you will be more invested in the story. For those who are fans,m this book ends when the statue at Dafan comes to life. In short, if you’re a fan you pretty much know what to expect, and if you are new to this story then you can expect a confusing start that converges into something interesting. The enigmas in the first half will likely get fleshed out in later volumes but that doesn’t change that it’s a discouraging way to start a story.

The artwork in the comic is a mixed bag for me. The character designs, expressions, and overall quality of them are quite fantastic. The backgrounds vary from panel to panel, with some looking really engaging and some as plain as a bare wall. Most comics minimize complex backgrounds where they can, this is standard, but this particular book made it more noticeable. It’s not bad enough that it is a detriment to the overall read, but it’s close enough to be worth pointing out. On the topic of the read, the translation is good; I didn’t notice any errors or odd grammar. The writing is a little stiff sometimes but nothing that is offensive. ​

Circling back to my complaint of the first half being a bit confusing, I would like to mention that at the end of the book there is a glossary. I think it would have been better if all or at least most of this were footnotes in the story as it came up. Needing to constantly flip back and forth causes major disruption to the flow of the tale. Ultimately, this is a solid read mired with some flow issues and minor art woes. It’s interesting enough that I’m willing to cautiously explore the other volumes.

One thing I’d like to point out though, is that my perspective will be very different from somebody who is familiar with the story. These views are all from somebody who is ignorant to the story from which this adaptation is based. Perhaps a fan will be more forgiving of the issues I had with it, or perhaps that is just how the original story was written, and it’s not a fault of the adaptation at all. Consider that when reading this review, and I hope you enjoy the book if you decide to pick it up. Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Volume 1) will be released on March 7th with an MSRP of $19.99.

For More Information:
https://sevenseasentertainment.com/books/grandmaster-of-demonic-cultivation-mo-dao-zu-shi-the-comic-manhua-vol-1/

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Story: C+
Art: B
Flow: C
Value: B+

OVERALL: B-

Pros:
+ Great character art.
+ Solid story in the latter half.
+ Fairly meaty page count for the price.

Cons:
- Background art can be a bit lacking.
- Lackluster and confusing plot in the first half.
- Not enough explanation of terminology within the story.

NOTE: A copy of this book was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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