ComicsOne has announced that it will adapt the Chinese movie Hero to comics, with art by Wing Shing Ma (Stormriders, Heaven Sword, Dragon Sabre).  The February 2004 release of the 128-page color graphic novel (priced at $16.95) will precede the Miramax U.S. release of the Jet Li movie by several months.

The storyline is centered around one loyal subject who attempts to stop three assassins determined to kill the soon-to-be emperor of China, who is on the verge of stopping a decades-old battle for supremacy among seven kingdoms.

Wing Shing Ma, according to the publisher, has rendered lifelike representations of the stars of the movie, Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, and Zhang Ziyi.

The Hero graphic novel contains an alternate ending to the Chinese release of the movie, approved by film creator Zhang Yimou.