Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island #1 review
One glance at the cover of Warren Ellis and Raulo Caceres’ Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island and I was hooked. This book oozes sci-fi coolness. Beautifully drawn and richly colored comic pages quickly immerse the reader into Ellis’ version of 1830 London.
Two competing police forces, the Bobbies and the Bow Street Runners, are trying to keep the streets of Georgian era London under control. A rogue given the monicker Spring-Heeled Jack, who appears to have harnessed the powers of static electricity, has taken up the hobby of tossing police onto spiked wrought iron fences. Of course, conspiracies abound as we get hints that the Bow Street Runners and their Magistrate masters may not only have justice as their motive for taking down Jack and the mysterious Captain Swing.
Raulo Caceres employs a plethora of short black strokes to add shading and detail to most every surface. You can see and feel the emotion on every character’s face. The biggest accomplishment is that Caceres seamlessly blends the fantastic and the style of the 1800’s to keep the story “realistic” in a sense.
This comic provides a full $3.99 worth of entertainment. The 21 pages of comic goodness are supplemented by six additional brown parchment looking pages with a fitting script font and technical drawings that go further in solidifying the idea that there is some mad scientist lurking about that is way ahead of his time. The text also provides details of the actual historical events that are being used to frame the story.
The only real criticism I have is that this is issue “1 of 4″. I’m already wanting more.
4 out of 5
This penultimate issue of No Hero dishes up both Carrick Masterson’s master plan and one of the most disturbing images I have seen in comics. Masterson, inventor FX7, a drug that creates superhumans, is literally pulling the world’s strings to suit his every whim. In this issue, author Warren Ellis reveals the depths of his power and his true reason for creating superheroes.
The members of Frontline, Carrick’s team of supes, are initiating Joshua into their ranks. Joshua, who recently took FX7 is living with some pretty bad side effects; namely, no skin and his pecker fell off. Joshua, who thought he saved innocents from a plane crash, learns that Carrick staged it for good publicity. How will Joshua react as he learns that the sacrifice he made to become a superhero was all in vain? Not well, I tell you, not well. It’s worth the read to see this outburst!
Artist Juan Jose Ryp’s hyper-detailed style works well with Ellis’ writing (the same team that created Avatar’s successful Black Summer). From the thoughtful lines of tiny fishes to anatomically correct disembowelments, Ryp is the master of precise detailing. After reading these issues, I find myself leafing through the pages again, just to take in the painstakingly rich artwork.
The last page is gross and disturbing. I had to examine the panels twice to make sure I really understood what happened. I’m looking forward to the next issue, which will wrap this series up. It will surely be a showdown with enough blood and finely drawn guts to satisfy even the most demented among us.
4 out of 5
Warren Ellis’s superb writing talent gives the X-Men life and snappy one-liners. Although there was such delay between issues, I almost forgot about this title. The “Ghost Box” story arc reaches a satisfying conclusion with this issue. Forge is revealed to be the mad scientist behind the mutated abortions. Insisting he cured the mutant curse from M-Day, Forge believes his creatures are the new generation of mutants. Forge is brilliant portrayed as a tragic man, brilliant, but always the last kid picked for kickball. Ellis writes appropriate tension between Forge and Storm, former lovers. The team is written with a maturating and depth that if have not found in X- titles recently. Ellis is also fun. With the verbal bitch slap of the year, Forge says, “Emma Frost. I didn’t recognize you with your legs together.” Yeah, Forge you got the nuts!
If issue delay was caused because artist Simone Bianchi needed time to create this masterpiece, then by all means, go nice and slow. While I am not a fan of some of the deluxe fashion show version of the costumes, every line of this book is gorgeous.
I thought the start of this arc was weak, but it kept building up speed and had a nice resolution. Please Warren Ellis, write more X- Men stories!
4 out of 5
How much do you want to be a super human? Warren Ellis poses this question in No Hero. From the looks of things so far, some people want it pretty darn bad.
Carrick Masterson, a modern day Timothy Leary, is the inventor of FX7, a drug that grants superhuman powers. Of course, it comes with a super dose of side effects. In the 70’s, Masterson established a super team called the Frontline. Present day, someone is killing off the now disbanded members of Frontline. Carrick finds a new subject to offer the chance to be a super human. He hopes his new hero, joined with some veterans, can track down the killers.
Ellis delivers a solid story, but artist Juan Jose Ryp steals the show. Ryp’s hyper-detailed style is incredible to behold. Each panel is a true work of art. It’s textured, rich and is the crown jewel of this title.
4 out of 5
