Writer Stephanie Phillips, Interior and Cover A Artist Craig Cermak, Colorist Brittany Pezzillo. Letterer Troy Peteri, Editor Elena Salcedo, Cover B Artist Stjepan Sejic
Thanks to Image Comics for the review copy!
Pirates are cool, maybe not as cool as ninjas and dinosaurs, but cool enough to have a International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Mark ye calendars for September 19, 2020). Everyone has an image of what a pirate is, which provides a shared base from which to tell a story. A MAN AMONG YE is a swashbuckling new pirate series reminiscent in tone of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, except unlike that movie, this series is at least based on history. Instead of Johnny Depp, we have John Rackham and Anne Bonny, two real pirates, so perhaps the TV show Black Sails is a better pop culture reference. While both John and Anne are featured in this episode, Anne quickly becomes the focus, making the title of the series more interesting.
The plot is a pretty straightforward introduction to the pirates’ life, with the requisite sword fighting action and British navy antagonists befitting the genre. I know enough to know John Rackham (also known as Calico Jack) and Anne Bonny were famous pirates, but I do not know if the plot is historically accurate. Nor am I sure if it matters, because the book is a fun read and I’d rather not know where the story is going. The art is bright and vivid, using clear lines that really light up the page. The writing is sharp and employs a nice mix of ‘pirate talk’ and witty back and forth between John and Anne. There is some bloody violence and curse words, so some parental discretion is advised.
A MAN AMONG YE is off to a promising start. I tend to gravitate towards superhero books, but this one has definitely grabbed my interest. I’ll be looking out for Issue #2.
A MAN AMONG YE #1 is now available.
Have you read the first issue? Are you going to pick up the 2nd issue? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
