Kara Dennison
May 5, 2025 
What do you get when you combine traditional Chinese opera, a murder mystery, the paranormal, and high-octane action? You get Yan, the beautiful, bloody manga from the creator of Oldman. First released in 2020, this genre-bending series will be available in English starting next month from Titan Manga. And we have a first look at all the twists and turns of this strange adventure. But no spoilers—we promise!
The Story
Yan starts 30 years ago within a celebrated family in the world of Peking opera. The family’s teenage daughter, Yan Tieh-Hua, sacrifices her youth to carry on the family tradition. But that changes one day when she returns home to find her family slaughtered. According to the records, she confessed to the killings, was incarcerated, and died 20 years later in an explosion. So how is she back now, 30 years later, looking exactly as she did at the time of her arrest?
That’s what the police want to know. According to a strange livestream, she’s back for revenge. But her presence seems impossible. Meanwhile, a teenage go prodigy goes missing. And, as the reader soon discovers, this disappearance ties directly (and bizarrely) to the young star’s reappearance.
The Art
There’s no two ways about it: Yan is beautiful. Many artists in the comic and manga realm discard expressiveness for realism or vice-versa; both are at play here. Each panel is stunningly laid out and drawn. Characters are both realistic and lifelike, demonstrating beautiful nuances of emotion. And considering one of those characters is often in full opera makeup and costume, that’s seriously glorious to behold.
If this is your first exposure to Chang Sheng’s artwork, you’re in for a treat. Even in shades of grey, these pages are vivid. And, as usual, Titan Manga ensures there’s plenty of extra material to peruse in the volume’s final pages.
That Certain Something
Yan, at least initially, looks for all the world like a straightforward action revenge story. Girl is blamed for her family’s murder and returns 30 years later to set things right. That alone would be basis enough for a story. But, as we quickly learn, there’s so much more going on. Did Yan die? Is she a ghost? Or is there some other reason she hasn’t aged? What is the strange being helping her? Who is the masked psychic who appears on the scene? And, as the volume draws to a close, how did a giant robot get here?
Yan simply cannot be pinned down to one genre. Every time you think you have it figured out, something new happens. Every answer leads to more questions. This is a manga you won’t want to put down, and a story you won’t want to miss.
