Sai: Dimensional Rivals #1: Possibly Peach’s Best

BEWARE: POTENTIAL SPOILERS

Have you ever been handed a comic that you knew next to nothing about outside of a context clue and been completely enticed to read it based on the cover? Well for your girl here, that was “Sai: Dimensional Rivals” by Peach Momoko, Iban Coello, Stan Sakai and Emi Fuji. For those who don’t know, this is, in fact, a Marvel Rivals-based storyline that we’ll see unfold over five issues in a limited run.

Our story starts, of course, with meeting Sai herself, who turns out to be a multiversal variant of the character fans know as Psylocke! We catch her laying in this wide open field as she catches a glimpse of a shooting star, something that’s sure to be of importance later as we learn what this story will be: Sai traveling the multiverse in search of the seventh infinity gem. However, this isn’t as simple on paper as it sounds, as both we the readers and Sai herself will encounter life lessons and dangers along the way. One such multidimensional issue is a troubled man and his deceased wife, an issue that seems to be handled expertly and delicately here.

It’s also in that other universe that we get a good taste of what this project is meant to showcase: a variance in the artwork. From Sai’s world to this other one, we see the stark difference in art style. Where Sai’s world looks more like what one would expect from Momoko’s usual work, the look of this other universe looks more cartoony in the best way possible with a dash of that Momoko flair. The best part though was the first stop she made in her dimensional travels. One where she fought ninjas in this very black & white setting with pops of purple, looking very detailed and a lot more serious, almost closer to the stylings of an old school samurai flick.

All in all, I’m VERY excited to see where this story and project both go. It’s not often we see works of art like this, of a single story told through not just the words, but different artists showing how they see the universe. Momoko and her team shine as bright as a shooting star and we’re only just beginning.