Captain Blood #2

Written by Matthew Shepherd
Art by Michael Shoyket

I was a little surprised to see this book solicited again. I figured this would be exactly the type of comic that doesn't make it under the new Diamond cut-off policy.

This is the type of small, random project that I like to support sometimes. It's a much more honest attempt to revive the pirate genre than Jamie Delano's recent Rawbone, and I have been enjoying the story here. Captain Blood is portrayed as a complicated man, as in this issue, he signs the articles to become a pirate. Instead of being portrayed as simply a victim of circumstance, he is making a choice to embrace this lifestyle, although he does manage to maintain his sense of morals.

Like in the first issue, the art is only okay. It's unfinished look continues to bother me at first, but I'm usually adjusted within a few pages.

Like I said, this is a unique project, and one I hope will be able to continue.

Captain Blood #1

Written by Matthew Shepherd
Art by Michael Shoyket

Here's a good example of how positive word of mouth can really sell comics. I remember seeing the solicitation for this a few months ago in Previews, and not being particularly interested, but in the last couple of weeks, there has been a fair amount of positive buzz on the internet, and so I decided to give this title a try.

I'm thankful I did. This is a good comic. I am completely unfamiliar with the novel this is based on, nor the movie version(s?). Coming into this with no preconceived notions, I can tell you that this is a very capable pirate story, and one much more readily comprehended than Jamie Delano's Rawbone book at Avatar.

In this issue, we meet Peter Blood, a former soldier and physician who has been sold into slavery in Jamaica for landing on the wrong side of the aristocracy. He is a very intelligent man, and being a doctor, a very valuable slave, even though he rails against his master and the British system in general. When chance arrives in the form of a Spanish attack, he does not hesitate to seize his destiny. The story is steeped in historical detail, without being bogged down.

The art is serviceable. It's a little too unfinished for my likes - a little like reading original pencil work before an inker can get ahold of it, but it still manages to be detailed and illustrates the story nicely. I don't know when the next issue of this is supposed to arrive, but I will be watching for it.