By Robin Jones
Written by Kel Symons
Art by Matthew Reynolds
Imagine Indiana Jones on the high seas, with a twist of Treasure Island, a dash of King Kong and a sprinkle of the dirty dozen and you get Image Comic’s latest number #1 The Mecenary Sea. It reminds me of the classic pulp tales which my dad has laying around my parents house! However, does it get the golden idol or does it fall foul of the huge boulder bearing down on it?
We are thrust right into the story from the get go, with Kel Symons introducing us to his ragtag crew of misfits, pirates and personalities throughout the issue. Symons sets aside building the world around his characters, leaving the time period to speak for itself (1938, just before the outbreak of the Second World War, with China and Japan already in the midst of a territorial war). We follow a bunch of lawbreakers and thrill seekers as they search for their next high adventure, interspersed with quick paying jobs to keep their submarine engines running, food in their bellies and the law one step behind. There’s humorous exchanges between a cannibal tribe, much watching of “Duck Sauce” and a nice balance of the classic pulp high adventure and down-to-earth comedy.
However, what is massively lacking is clear, well defined characters. What we have are a ragtag group of stereotypes, the Han Solo – a charming, handsome leader, the Princess Leia - a quick witted, spunky female crew member with a sharp tongue, the Obi Wan – a weary, grizzled veteran and mentor. Each character has a troubled background that they are trying to escape from or atone for. It all seems a little bit lazy and far too familiar a tale. Perhaps though, the series will embody it’s primary vessel and plunge to new depths in terms of character as it progresses?
I found Matthew Reynold’s art strange yet compelling. It seems entirely digital in production and is very stylised. His work is bold and simplistic but the vivid colours which accompany his line work really add weight and punch to his work. We have lots of frames where the characters are over staged, intentionally, by the backgrounds. Reynolds world is full of lush scenery, bold environments and beautiful colour work. It is definitely the stand out aspect of the book and this seems to lend more to the creation of mood and atmosphere within the story than the more intricate, dialogue driven scenes.
In closing, The Mercenary Sea has some great ideas, spear heading a revival of the classic genre pulp stories of yesteryear, but it lacks the depth of character and stumbles over stereotypes, causing it to be more of a drop in the ocean rather than a tsunami of awesomeness.
I give this 6 out of 10.
This way me hearties to get your land-lubbered hands on the rest of The Mercenary Sea series
For more comic views and reviews follow Robin on Twitter at @Hulksmash1985
Posted on February 21st, 2014
Category: PULP FRICTION, REVIEWS
Tags: Comic Blog, Comic Reviews, Image Comics, Kel Symons, Matthew Reynolds, Mercenary Sea #1 Review, Robin Jones