BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1

Greetings!

This time I’ll be presenting my random musings on the new Big Trouble in Little China comic from BOOM! Studios.

For those poor unfortunates unfamiliar with Big Trouble in Little China, it’s a 1986 film from John Carpenter (HALLOWEEN, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE THING) starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, and James Hong. It’s a hilarious blend of over-the-top 80s neon-lit action and 70s kung-fu movies, with a fair dose of “Chinese black magic.”

Seriously, go watch it. It’s available for streaming from Netflix and everything.

And, before we get into the meat of things, I want to point out that despite persistent internet rumors, the film is NOT in any way, shape, or form a re-tooled version of BUCKAROO BANZAI: AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE.*

On to the comic....

(originally published on Tumblr on 6 June 2014)

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1

Story: John Carpenter and Eric Powell
Writer: Eric Powell
Art: Brian Churilla
Colors: Michael Garland
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publication Date: June 2014
Published by BOOM! Studios

At the end of Big Trouble in Little China (BTiLC going forward) hero-trucker Jack Burton hits the road in his big-rig, The Pork Chop Express, after rescuing Miao Yin and Gracie Law from the clutches of the evil Lo Pan. Little does he know, a demon servant has hitched a ride.

The BTiLC comic picks up immediately after the film fades to black as Jack finds out about his uninvited hitchhiker. Fortunately for Jack, the beast turns out to be friendly, acting more like a big puppy. Jack doesn’t know what else to do so he decides to head back to Little China, hoping Chinese sorcerer Egg Chen will know how to handle it.

Egg Chen explains to Jack that the demon was a servant bonded to Lo Pan, and that when Jack killed Lo Pan, the bond transferred to Jack. The only way to remove the bond is for someone to kill Jack, which isn’t exactly the kind of solution that sits well with Jack.

But before they can investigate the problem further, it’s time for the wedding of Jack’s friend Wang Chi and his green-eyed girl, Miao Yin. A wedding which is interrupted by the appearance of Qiang Lu, a warrior sorcerer disciple of Lo Pan.

Qiang Lu takes Wang Chi but offers Jack an opportunity to save him. If Jack travels the Black Road in the Hell of the Seven-Faced Widow and releases the spirits of the three storms (Thunder, Lightning, and Rain - Lo Pan’s right-hand men) within three days, he’ll spare Wang’s life.

Jack’s response: “Sister, challenge accepted.”

So endeth issue one.

Now, I love the movie. It’s a quirky ball of fun with a great cast - Kurt Russell and Jack Burton, Dennis Dun as Wang Chi, Kim Cattrall as Gracie Law, Victor Wong as Egg Chen, and the always awesome James Hong as Lo Pan.

It didn’t do that well in theaters but developed a cult following, especially after it hit home video. Like all the good movies, it seems.

The thing that made me worried about how it would translate to a continuing comic book adventure is that Jack Burton, for all his bluster and swagger, isn’t the hero - he’s the comic relief sidekick. Only he doesn’t know it. Jack bumbles his way thru the movie and if he does actually accomplish something, it’s by accident more often than not.

As an example, in one of my favorite scenes, Jack and Wang Chi are leading a group of prisoners to freedom from Lo Pan’s warehouse. They end up with a group of Lo Pan’s hoods on the other side of a door, ready to attack. As Jack and Wang get ready for the fight, Jack pulls a knife from his boot only for it to slip from his hand and fly across the room. Jack goes after it as the baddies bust in. By the time Jack recovers the blade and jumps back to the fight - it’s over. Wang Chi has dispatched all the bad guys single-handed.

Wang Chi is the hero of the film.

So it’ll be interesting to see how they keep to the essence of this thru the run of the series.

That said, the first issue is off to a promising start. It’s got the action and humor of the film, and Jack acts like Jack. He’s ready for anything, even if he’s not exactly sure what that ‘anything’ might be. A definite ‘leap before he looks - assuming he looks at all’ type.

It’s easy to hear the character’s voices in my head as I read it, which is about the highest praise I can give it.

The art - I have to admit a personal bias against the more cartoony style but for this title it seems to work, and I can recognize the characters.

As it’s a first issue, it has to spend its time setting up the characters and situations, so you can’t really get too deep into it from a review standpoint - not that I’m giving myself enough credit to call these write-ups of mine ‘reviews’ - but I’m a fan of the film and right now I’m a fan of the comic, too.

We’ll have to see where it does from here but I’m more than willing to tag along for the ride.

*No, seriously. Aside from W.D. Richter directing THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI and writing BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, there’s no connection between BTiLC and the promised Buckaroo sequel. BTiLC was based on a previous script - a straight out period western - that Richter was called in to re-write. And as Richter has pointed out several times, even if there was a version of AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE out there, it would be written by Buckaroo’s creator Earl Mac Rauch, not himself.

That said, there is one small connection between the films. In the official Buckaroo Banzai newsletters released after the film, it’s revealed that one of Buckaroo’s men was engaged to marry until his intended ran off with Jack Burton.