Way of the Rat
Encyclopedia
Way of the Rat is an American comic book
series published by CrossGen Entertainment
in the wuxia
sub-genre of martial arts adventure. Written by Chuck Dixon
, with artwork by Jeff Johnson
and Tom Ryder, the series ran for a total of twenty-four issues before its publication was stopped due to CrossGen's bankruptcy
.
The series is set in CrossGen's Sigilverse
shared universe
in the Empire of Shinacea, on the planet Hann Jinn. This planet is also the setting for two other Sigilverse series, The Path
and Brath
.
to June 2004
.
Silken Ghost, one of the series' supporting characters received her own five issue limited series
in 2003
.
) and the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons. He fails to find the third object he intended to steal, the Phoenix Heart, which he later discovers was stolen before his arrival by fellow thieves, Jao and Yan. Discovered in the act, Boon must fight his way past agents of Zhumar's corrupt ruler Judge X'ain.
As he runs he gains an advisor, the sapient monkey Po Po and discovers the ring he now wears gives him the ability to be a master of any art using any type of staff weapon. He also learns that the scroll is the gateway to a hell dimension population by dragons
who devour the souls of all those unlucky enough to fall into their realm.
As all of this goes on, Bhuto Khan, the leader of the nomadic tribes to the west of Zhumar prepares his army to attack the city. Khan bears a ring known as the Ring of Blades, giving him the ability to use any bladed weapon at a master level of skill.
Using his new toy, Judge X'ain releases the dragons intending to use them for some unknown purpose. He quickly loses control when they begin to devour one another and grow bigger until there is only one singular huge dragon left. It kills Judge X'ain and his agents and breaks free into Zhumar itself.
Boon, with help from the Silken Ghost and the Emperor's daughter, Princess Zheng Mai Lo (with secret aide from Tiger Mah and Old Mother, the leaders of Zhumar's thieves guild—The Brotherhood of Scoundrels) defeats this huge dragon by slicing its belly and releasing all of the smaller dragons inside. He recovers the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons and the Silken Ghost reads the scroll to send the dragons back. Princess Zheng Mai Lo is dragged back with them.
In the aftermath of the battle, Boon gives the Ring of Blades to the Silken Ghost.
Inside, Boon and his allies seek a way to free Princess Zhend Mai Lo from the Hell of the Hungry Dragons using the Phoenix Heart. This effort fails, but results in the return of the ghost of Judge X'ain to the land of the living. Old Mother uses the Phoenix Heart and Judge X'ain is pulled inside, but he almost immediately returns having released all the trapped ghosts inside.
As a result of this event all the dead in Zhumar begin to rise and the city is quickly filled with ghosts. This attracts the attention of a being known as Kung Kung Yi, a spirit that devours other spirits. Kung Kung Yi begins to feast and eventually gains enough power to allow it the ability to rip the souls from the bodies of living beings.
Tei Su's grandfather, one of the ghosts who have returned, shows her where she can find Ghost Slayer, a sword capable of destroying any spirit, including Kung Kung Yi. As all of the released ghosts flee into the safety of the Phoenix Heart to escape Kung Kung Yi, Boon and the Silken Ghost engage the evil spirit in battle.
In the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Scoundrels, Boon searches for the missing Jao and Yan. Unknown to Boon, the two had stolen a powerful cursed object from Old Mother's room. This object is a wishing doll, a small porcelain
statuette that grants any wish, but twists the words used for the wish in the most evil ways it can. Jao and Yan had wished for riches and the doll had sent them inside a sealed treasure chamber with no way to escape and no food or water. Boon picks up the doll and wishes to know where they are and the doll sends him and Po Po to Jao and Yan's location
As this is happening a stranger arrives at the front gates of the city. He identifies himself as Poon Fei Lhong and declares that he has come to Zhumar to seek out the man who has stolen his name. He wears a third magic ring—the Ring of Fists. He is confronted by the Silken Ghost who, after a short battle, convinces him that Boon did not mean to steal his name. He decides to leave Zhumar and takes a new name Nung Boa—No Name.
In the treasure vault Boon, Po Po, Jao and Yan encounter the vault's guardian monsters. As they fight for their lives Old Mother discovers the wishing doll sitting in the middle of Yao and Yan's room and quickly figures out what happened to them. After working a great deal of time crafting a wish for which the wording cannot be twisted by the wishing doll she wishes Boon, Po Po, Jao and Yan home.
:
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
series published by CrossGen Entertainment
CrossGen
Cross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, was an American comic book publisher that operated from 1998 to 2004.CrossGen Comics, Inc. was founded in 1998, by Tampa, Florida-based entrepreneur Mark Alessi who sought to create a comic book universe that was uniquely varied but also connected by a...
in the wuxia
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
sub-genre of martial arts adventure. Written by Chuck Dixon
Chuck Dixon
Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
, with artwork by Jeff Johnson
Jeff Johnson (comics)
Jeffrey "Jeff" Johnson is an American comic book artist.He is best known for his work with writer Gerard Jones on Marvel Comics' Wonder Man and Malibu Comics' Solitaire and with writer Chuck Dixon on Crossgen's Way of the Rat though he has also pencilled many other titles in his long career in...
and Tom Ryder, the series ran for a total of twenty-four issues before its publication was stopped due to CrossGen's bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
.
The series is set in CrossGen's Sigilverse
Sigilverse
The Sigilverse, also known as the CrossGen Universe, is a fictional shared universe which served as a setting for most titles published by CrossGen Comics. Except for El Cazador, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and a handful of flashbacks, all CrossGen Universe titles are set in the future...
shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
in the Empire of Shinacea, on the planet Hann Jinn. This planet is also the setting for two other Sigilverse series, The Path
The Path (comics)
The Path is an American comic book series published by CrossGen Entertainment from March 2002 to April 2004. It was cancelled due to the company's bankruptcy....
and Brath
Brath (comics)
Brath was an American comic book published by Crossgen Entertainment from February, 2003 to June, 2004. It ran for 15 issues before it was forced to end by the bankruptcy of CrossGen in 2004....
.
Publication history
The twenty-four published issues of Way of the Rat were dated from June 20022002 in comics
-March:* Adventures of Superman #600: super-sized anniversary issue by Joe Casey, Mike Wieringo, and Jose Marzan, Jr. -April:* Batman #600: "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive," part one, 64-page giant, written by Ed Brubaker.-January:...
to June 2004
2004 in comics
-February:*February 6: Marvel Enterprises and Electronic Arts announce a multi-year agreement in which EA will develop a new generation of fighting video games pitting Marvel superheroes against a new, original set of EA heroes....
.
Silken Ghost, one of the series' supporting characters received her own five issue limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
in 2003
2003 in comics
-January:* January 2: Kid Colt artist Jack Keller dies at age 80.- April :* Action Comics #800: Double-sized anniversary issue, "A Hero's Journey," by Joe Kelly, Pascual Ferry, and Duncan Rouleau...
.
Characters
- Boon Sai Hong: A thief from the city of Zhumar, known as the Jade Rat and the series main character. Named and nicknamed after famous thief Boon Sai Hong, who lived in the 15th century and stole an artifact called "The Jade Rat" that has never been found.
- Po Po: A sapient monkey and Boon's advisor.
- Tei Su: The daughter of one of Zhumar's prominent scholars. She is secretly the masked warrior known as the Silken Ghost.
Issues #1-6
The series begins with Boon Sai Hong, a local thief in the northern city of Zhumar breaking into the house of the scholar Wing Tei. He finds Tei already dead and steals two objects he later discovers to be the Ring of Staffs(which turns the wearer into an instant master of BōjutsuBojutsu
, translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of using a staff weapon called bō which simply means "staff". Staffs are perhaps one of the earliest weapons used by humankind. They have been in use for thousands of years in Eastern Asia. Some techniques involve slashing,...
) and the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons. He fails to find the third object he intended to steal, the Phoenix Heart, which he later discovers was stolen before his arrival by fellow thieves, Jao and Yan. Discovered in the act, Boon must fight his way past agents of Zhumar's corrupt ruler Judge X'ain.
As he runs he gains an advisor, the sapient monkey Po Po and discovers the ring he now wears gives him the ability to be a master of any art using any type of staff weapon. He also learns that the scroll is the gateway to a hell dimension population by dragons
Chinese dragon
Chinese dragons are legendary creatures in Chinese mythology and folklore, with mythic counterparts among Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, Western and Turkic dragons. In Chinese art, dragons are typically portrayed as long, scaled, serpentine creatures with four legs...
who devour the souls of all those unlucky enough to fall into their realm.
As all of this goes on, Bhuto Khan, the leader of the nomadic tribes to the west of Zhumar prepares his army to attack the city. Khan bears a ring known as the Ring of Blades, giving him the ability to use any bladed weapon at a master level of skill.
Issues #7-12
Having beaten Bhuto Khan in combat and now in possession the Ring of Blades, Boon is carried through the streets of Zhumar by a celebrating populace. They ask him his name, but mishear him and begin to chant the name Poon Fei Lhong. The celebration reaches the house of Judge X'ain who invites Boon to dinner that night. There Judge X'ain takes possession of the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons.Using his new toy, Judge X'ain releases the dragons intending to use them for some unknown purpose. He quickly loses control when they begin to devour one another and grow bigger until there is only one singular huge dragon left. It kills Judge X'ain and his agents and breaks free into Zhumar itself.
Boon, with help from the Silken Ghost and the Emperor's daughter, Princess Zheng Mai Lo (with secret aide from Tiger Mah and Old Mother, the leaders of Zhumar's thieves guild—The Brotherhood of Scoundrels) defeats this huge dragon by slicing its belly and releasing all of the smaller dragons inside. He recovers the Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons and the Silken Ghost reads the scroll to send the dragons back. Princess Zheng Mai Lo is dragged back with them.
In the aftermath of the battle, Boon gives the Ring of Blades to the Silken Ghost.
Issues #13-18
In the wake of the fight with the Dragons, a mass exodus from Zhumar begins to occur. This is quickly stopped when the newly appointed ruler, Minister Hyun orders the city gates closed.Inside, Boon and his allies seek a way to free Princess Zhend Mai Lo from the Hell of the Hungry Dragons using the Phoenix Heart. This effort fails, but results in the return of the ghost of Judge X'ain to the land of the living. Old Mother uses the Phoenix Heart and Judge X'ain is pulled inside, but he almost immediately returns having released all the trapped ghosts inside.
As a result of this event all the dead in Zhumar begin to rise and the city is quickly filled with ghosts. This attracts the attention of a being known as Kung Kung Yi, a spirit that devours other spirits. Kung Kung Yi begins to feast and eventually gains enough power to allow it the ability to rip the souls from the bodies of living beings.
Tei Su's grandfather, one of the ghosts who have returned, shows her where she can find Ghost Slayer, a sword capable of destroying any spirit, including Kung Kung Yi. As all of the released ghosts flee into the safety of the Phoenix Heart to escape Kung Kung Yi, Boon and the Silken Ghost engage the evil spirit in battle.
Issues #19-24
As the Silken Ghost takes care of the evil spirits that remain in Zhumar, the ghost of Judge X'ain discovers how to possess the living and uses this ability to once again take control of Zhumar.In the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Scoundrels, Boon searches for the missing Jao and Yan. Unknown to Boon, the two had stolen a powerful cursed object from Old Mother's room. This object is a wishing doll, a small porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
statuette that grants any wish, but twists the words used for the wish in the most evil ways it can. Jao and Yan had wished for riches and the doll had sent them inside a sealed treasure chamber with no way to escape and no food or water. Boon picks up the doll and wishes to know where they are and the doll sends him and Po Po to Jao and Yan's location
As this is happening a stranger arrives at the front gates of the city. He identifies himself as Poon Fei Lhong and declares that he has come to Zhumar to seek out the man who has stolen his name. He wears a third magic ring—the Ring of Fists. He is confronted by the Silken Ghost who, after a short battle, convinces him that Boon did not mean to steal his name. He decides to leave Zhumar and takes a new name Nung Boa—No Name.
In the treasure vault Boon, Po Po, Jao and Yan encounter the vault's guardian monsters. As they fight for their lives Old Mother discovers the wishing doll sitting in the middle of Yao and Yan's room and quickly figures out what happened to them. After working a great deal of time crafting a wish for which the wording cannot be twisted by the wishing doll she wishes Boon, Po Po, Jao and Yan home.
Collections
The series has been collected in a number of trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Walls of Zhumar (CrossGen, 160 pages, March 2003, ISBN 1931484511, April 2004, ISBN 1593140320)
- The Dragon's Wake (CrossGen, 192 pages, July 2004, ISBN 1931484775)
- Haunted Zhumar (CrossGen, 160 pages, September 2004, ISBN 1593140428, Checker Book Publishing GroupChecker Book Publishing GroupChecker Book Publishing Group is an independent publisher of comics reprints, from newspaper strips to modern out-of-print titles and collections from defunct publishers.-History:...
, 172 pages, April 2007, ISBN 1933160594)