Billy Tucci's Shi is one of the great modern creations in comics -- but this "definitive" collection is not worth the price.

Sure, it's a "complete" repackaging of the various Shi storylines -- the first of four volumes that promise to bring the whole series together for the first time -- which is certainly convenient for people coming late to the game.

But stripping the beautiful art of its color is a mistake that simply makes no sense. The original art was glorious in its use of color; in plain black and white, it's bland.

The book includes The Way of the Warrior, Senryaku, Tomoe and more in 576 colorless pages.

I would love to see some of the hard-to-find storylines from Shi collected in a proper package, but readers deserve the full effect, not a stripped-down version for budget shoppers.