The year is 1720. Pirates are raiding the Caribbean with fleets of Royal Marines on their tail. Is the era of pirating coming to an end? For one ship, with more than one pirate of legend aboard, things are still going strong — but for how long? Some Spoilers Aboard!
Written by Stephanie PhillipsCover by Craig Cermak
Illustrated by Craig Cermak
Colored by Brittany Pezzillo
Lettered by Troy PeteriAs the British Royal Marines close in on a pirate ship 30 miles off the coast of Hispaniola, swords and knives are entwined, and death is everywhere. Captain John “Calico Jack” Rackham is one of the most hunted pirates with the local governor looking to take him and his crew down, permanently. Glory and a lot of money are on the line for whoever can take down the famed pillager. While this story may seem like it is solely Jack’s, there is another famed pirate aboard this ship, and she may be the strongest and most cunning of them all.
As the battle rages aboard the British naval vessel, Jack comes a bit close to a messy end until Bonny takes out the soldier who gets close enough to do the deed. A few beats of sexual tension and a small argument regarding their talent as a pirate later, Jack and Bonny return to their ship and crew, but not before setting the naval ship ablaze to ensure its total destruction and death to all aboard.
This issue opens with an exciting battle on the open water, swords, guns, blood, and a nasty end to a slew of men…as any good pirate story should. The plot then moves into another sort of familiar – yet expected and necessary – territory. Crewmen not respecting Anne because she is a woman and wondering why she is even allowed on board. Whispers of mutiny at the first signs of trouble. Questions of how and where to proceed to their next stop. And of course, there is a young stowaway on board.
There is also a good bit of exposition from a fort in Nassau, Bahamas. This is where we learn a little more about the local leadership and why Captain Rackham is being endlessly hunted. Governor Rogers a tall and foreboding man. He is someone who should never be crossed because he will use all of his power, not to mention his intelligence and lack of empathy to completely and utterly destroy you. Frightening even those closest to him, he has a personal vendetta against Rackham, and has the scars as a reminder for all who look at him. He tells his right hand man, and us, all about his plans on how he will take Rackham down, from the inside.
The characterization of Anne Bonny is one that pulls from both myth and history, what we know about Anne is spotty at best, and most stories conflict with each other. “A Man Among Ye’s” version is a nice amalgamation of these legends. She is strong, is an equal to the male captain, and has plenty of sex appeal to boot. She is without a doubt the most interesting character in this issue, but I wish she had more to do. Thankfully we have more issues on the way.
Tensions rise on Rackham’s ship as issues between the leadership and the crew, and the discovery of the stowaway all come to a head. Revelations are made, problems grow, and this chapter ends on a cliffhanger that is exciting, if not obvious, from nearly the beginning of the issue.
Stephanie Phillips knows her pirate lore and while it is difficult to get accurate accounts of what many famed pirates did, or if they were ever actually real people, she put a lot of work into crafting a story that pulls from legend and has her own spin on things. When writing a pirate adventure there are some tropes that just need to be included and it feels like nearly all of them were put right into this first issue. At times it feels a little cluttered, but overall the pacing feels right. Her writing gives us a lot of story to think about, while hinting at these characters’s histories, and what will soon change in their lives.
Continued belowPhillips’s script gives us both a real-world feel to what happened 300 years ago, and throws in plenty of cheesy B-movie one-liners to keep things fun and light. Nothing feels too serious, but there is still a good amount of dread for what is to come. She knows her stuff, and it is all on display in this comic. There’s nothing terribly heady here and it is a fun start for readers of nearly any age.
Cermak’s illustrations fit the story. Fun, light, just enough detail to keep things pretty without feeling heavy handed, or over complicated. His character designs are fun and basically what you’d expect from a more polished take on pirating. His work looks good. It is pretty to look at, but ultimately blends into the crowd with many other comics. There are a few standout moments of action and set design that are absolutely worthy of praise. The same thing can be said for Pezzillo’s colors. Her work is pretty and helps flesh out the world in a surface level manner, but there is not great depth to the work. It mostly feels manufactured. No risks are taken. It is very safe in the sense that as soon as you open the book, you know exactly how the entire issue is going to look.
For those who know even a little bit about pirates, you will pick up on story beats, settings, characterizations, and more that have been repurposed many times over, especially in other movies and books. Even Cermak’s version of this Captain Jack, are incredibly similar to another famous fictional character. It’s most likely done on purpose, but in a modern world where those movies are many, many people’s only real interaction with pirate stories, the smart move would be to move away from that and do something fresh and interesting. This feels like it was planned by a committee on how things should look.
There are many things to like about it, especially Phillips’s own knowledge and research she brought to the pages. There is plenty of solid storytelling and strong action sequences. However, I wish it had the courage to really be its own thing without feeling so similar to a particular mega-franchise, or so many other adventure comics, in terms of its design. This is a comic for pirate fans, by pirate fans, and that should not be left out of any review. It isn’t meant to be the smartest or most intriguing thing on shelves. It gets it right where it counts in many respects, but it would great to really see it do something incredible.
Final Verdict: 6.5, “A Man Among Ye” #1 is a fun and quick read, but like any good pirate, it needs its independence to truly stand against the competition.
