Action Lab Entertainment 2015
Written by Josiah Grahn
Illustrated by Carl Yonder
With each issue of this series that comes out I find more and more to really like about it. Today the focus for me was on the interior artwork on the first full page. The characters in the background were just incredibly lifelike as if photo’s of people were somehow superimposed onto the page just to create a different look. The artwork is something that will grab your attention right off the bat it’s the thing that propels you to keep going with the issue and then read the writing and here it has this commanding presence to it that instantly you want to see more.
I am more intrigued to see Burroughs trying to use Smithy to advance himself and do the whole pupil becomes the master type of thing. Taking credit for the information Smithy gave him and then trying to make it seem like he could’ve done without him and trying to puff up his chest and make himself into something more than he is. The background information on Burroughs is fantastically done! You really get a sense that he will use everyone to his full advantage and then promptly do his best to dispose of them or discredit them when he’s done to keep his secrets his own.
This old feud between Smithy and Burroughs will be coming to a head and we learn so much more about the two men and where they find themselves at right now. The characterization and plot development are so intense and involved and full of lies and betrayal that you get lost in it. I keep reading this book looking for moments to write about, things to point out and say this is pivotal but each time I get to the end because I just can’t stop reading. The entire issue is as pivotal moment and you get swept up in their lives past and present.
Smithy isn’t stupid and he’s calculating and risking the odds that could be in his favour but there comes a time when you fall short and you’ve got to wonder if this is going to be that time for him. We know and have seen how corrupt and unsavory Burroughs is but is Smithy really any better? Sure for the time being he’s managed to stay hidden away from all the eyes that have been searching for him but there comes a time when you must face that special demon in your life and that time is fast approaching.
This really is an impressive book. Pirates like this may be a thing of the past but there’s a reason they still fascinate us today and it’s because of stories like this one. Colourful characters who skirt the law and each other to survive and thrive making names and legacies for themselves is what we want to see and the nail that perfectly here. There’s no historical reality here it’s pure fictional fun for me and that means it could’ve taken place at any time throughout the history of Pirates making this so universal in nature.
Get lost in this world of sneaky underhanded men and women with their own codes to live by because it’s times like this that you will remember.