Kabuki

Kabuki is a Japanese assassin-spy whose masked persona conceals a deeply personal story of identity and trauma, created by David Mack. She works as an operative in a near-future Japan, using performance and deception as both weapon and survival mechanism.

Emerging from the fertile, creator-owned energy of mid-'90s Image Comics, Kabuki made her striking debut in the landmark crossover Shi / Cyblade: The Battle for Independents #1 in 1995, brought to life by William Tucci, Gary Cohn, and Steve Bissette. She's a character who has clearly earned her own spotlight, anchoring titles like Kabuki: Circle of Blood and the long-running Kabuki series across an impressive three decades of publication. The company she keeps is genuinely rarefied — her pages have been shared with icons of independent comics royalty like Cerebus, Madman, and Fone Bone, placing her firmly at the heart of what made creator-owned storytelling so exciting in the modern age. For collectors drawn to bold, distinctive characters with deep indie credentials and real longevity, Kabuki is absolutely worth seeking out.