In a fictional medieval world the Claymores, augmented humans, wield the swords that give them their name against the Yoma. Clare is a Claymore who moves from place to place fighting the Yoma, for a fee, now she travels with Raki a human child who lost his parents to the Yoma, just like Clare. Now the two companions find themselves fighting for their very lives in the holy city of Rabona...

Claymore: Volume Three: Teresa of the Faint Smile continues the manga by Norihiro Yagi (Angel Densetsu, Undeadman).

This volume concludes the Rabona story from Volume Two with Clare triumphant and having gained the respect of the townspeople. Although it was a foregone conclusion that she would win, it would be a pretty short book if she didn’t, the story is handled well. So, another book another mission...

In the following story we are introduced to Teresa, another Claymore, discovering along the way that the Claymores' work for The Organisation and that each warrior has a number. In Teresa’s case, she is a seventy-seventh generation Claymore, warrior number 182. Her introduction confirms that each Claymore has a handler who gives out missions and collects the money. Although we have not yet met The Organisation, they are certainly not an altruistic bunch. No one volunteers to be a Claymore; rather they are sold to the Organisation, who then charges each village a fee for destroying the Yoma.

Teresa's introduction also shows an inherent flaw in the artwork, with fewer facial features it’s difficult to really distinguish Teresa from Clare.

Initially Teresa’s story seems like a rerun of the meeting between Raki and Clare from Volume One, until you discover that the little girl's name, who follows Teresa, is called Clare. As the story does not conclude in this book, it’s too early to say if this is a flashback to Clare’s story or a parallel one. Either way the books focus on story over gore - though gore there is - holds out hope for this series.

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Charles Packer