1_and_owenly's review against another edition
4.0
If you dig pre-WWII adventure stories in the vein of Indiana Jones, you might enjoy this. Espionage, high seas adventure, an international crew of competent rogues... it's just fun.
I am uncertain about the portrayal of the natives. They did not seem insulting to me, but I'd have to hear what someone more knowledgeable would say.
Personally, I loved the art. It felt like stills taken from an animated movie. Soft focus at times really added clarity to certain moments. And I loved the lack of outlines.
But again, I understand that this is not everyone's shot of bourbon. If you can imagine Malcolm Reynolds of the long lamented show Firefly in command of a submarine in 1938, you might get the flavor of this story. And if that appeals to you, then maybe this book is up your alley.
I am uncertain about the portrayal of the natives. They did not seem insulting to me, but I'd have to hear what someone more knowledgeable would say.
Personally, I loved the art. It felt like stills taken from an animated movie. Soft focus at times really added clarity to certain moments. And I loved the lack of outlines.
But again, I understand that this is not everyone's shot of bourbon. If you can imagine Malcolm Reynolds of the long lamented show Firefly in command of a submarine in 1938, you might get the flavor of this story. And if that appeals to you, then maybe this book is up your alley.
bklassen's review against another edition
3.0
I’m not sure what this says about this first volume, but the majority of this rating comes from artwork, but the drawing style is so gorgeous that I couldn’t help it. Don’t get me wrong, the story is fun, too. Like Mal Reynolds from Firefly or Indiana Jones mixed with James Bond as the captain of this ragtag group of military or smuggling misfits pick up odd jobs, act like criminals, but deep down have a heart of gold and always do the right thing. It’s basically Firefly in the South Pacific. It’s a fun, rollicking adventure, but don’t expect any substance.
The art, though. Oh my God, it’s so pretty. It’s drawn in the style of Archer (and it does share some similarities with Archer, but really only in the sense of gun fights and a reckless protagonist who’s good with a gun), but without the thick black outlines. The colors, the style, the backgrounds… the aesthetic is just so pretty. Form over function in this case, and not that it’s a bad thing, I just don’t think this graphic novel/comic series will stand the test of time.
The art, though. Oh my God, it’s so pretty. It’s drawn in the style of Archer (and it does share some similarities with Archer, but really only in the sense of gun fights and a reckless protagonist who’s good with a gun), but without the thick black outlines. The colors, the style, the backgrounds… the aesthetic is just so pretty. Form over function in this case, and not that it’s a bad thing, I just don’t think this graphic novel/comic series will stand the test of time.
lacifaeria's review
4.0
Good start to an interesting premise. But I need to talk about the art for a second because it was really striking and memorable. The colors are vibrant. The lines are clean. The shading even feels cooler when they're in the submarine or at night. I really like this style and I like the introduction to the maudlin crew of the submarine. Nice work. And I really like what Mathew Reynolds did in terms of the artwork. A real pleasure on the eyes.
littlebookowl's review
3.0
I received this book for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Mercenary Sea Vol. 1 is a promising start to what I hope turns out to be a really thrilling and exciting series. While overall I enjoyed this first volume, I feel like it has the potential to be so much more.
I didn’t quite find myself wholly invested in the story and the characters. Some of the scenes seem a bit rushed, and I would have liked to spend more time getting to know the characters. This does of course need to happen over time especially as we see each character develop and grow, but I didn’t find myself connecting with any of them until the last few pages of the volume. I would have liked to learn more earlier on as I often found myself forgetting who was who and whether they were allies or enemies.
That being said, I did enjoy the amount of action that came along with being thrust right into the story without the setup slowing down the pace. I loved how the combat scenes were executed - they were quite gripping in how fast paced they were, but also visually they were stunning and explosive.
Continuing on with the visual aspects of The Mercenary Sea, I absolutely adored the illustration style. In the absence of outlines, bold and contrasting colours created detail. The panels I found the most stunning were those with silhouettes - different shades were used in order to portray depth of field, but often these muted palettes were contrasted against a gradient of vibrant colours in the background. I couldn’t help but stop and admire them.
I’m really excited to see more of the story and the characters. It has such an intriguing premise, and with the dynamic between some of the characters, I’m sure there will be some amusing, awkward and/or hilarious scenes to come.
The Mercenary Sea Vol. 1 is a promising start to what I hope turns out to be a really thrilling and exciting series. While overall I enjoyed this first volume, I feel like it has the potential to be so much more.
I didn’t quite find myself wholly invested in the story and the characters. Some of the scenes seem a bit rushed, and I would have liked to spend more time getting to know the characters. This does of course need to happen over time especially as we see each character develop and grow, but I didn’t find myself connecting with any of them until the last few pages of the volume. I would have liked to learn more earlier on as I often found myself forgetting who was who and whether they were allies or enemies.
That being said, I did enjoy the amount of action that came along with being thrust right into the story without the setup slowing down the pace. I loved how the combat scenes were executed - they were quite gripping in how fast paced they were, but also visually they were stunning and explosive.
Continuing on with the visual aspects of The Mercenary Sea, I absolutely adored the illustration style. In the absence of outlines, bold and contrasting colours created detail. The panels I found the most stunning were those with silhouettes - different shades were used in order to portray depth of field, but often these muted palettes were contrasted against a gradient of vibrant colours in the background. I couldn’t help but stop and admire them.
I’m really excited to see more of the story and the characters. It has such an intriguing premise, and with the dynamic between some of the characters, I’m sure there will be some amusing, awkward and/or hilarious scenes to come.
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