Writer: Sean Lewis
Artist, Colorist, Letterer & Cover Artist: Jonathan Marks Barravecchia
Publisher: Image
Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 1, 2024
He was Paul Reddish, a captain in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. Now Baron Reddish sails under a new flag. What prompted Paul's move to piracy? Let's dive into Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1 and find out!
Story
Captain Paul Reddish was transporting bounty from the Horn Of Africa. Pirates slaughtered his crew and threw him overboard. Paul sank into the sea. Yet, as he drowned, a bear emerged from the depths. Paul swam to the surface, accompanied by the bear.
Paul awakens on a ship. Is it his or the pirates' vessel? In any case, it belongs to him and the bear now. Paul’s upbringing taught him to combat threats. Yet the bear doesn’t want to fight him. Instead, it imbues him with a cosmic power.
In Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1, Sean Lewis reflects upon the inequalities of society. Wealth and privilege grudgingly share their riches. Servants starve while their masters thrive. Colonialization created empires dependent upon an influx of goods and riches from other lands. Sailors not only saw this occurring but perpetuated a corrupt system. In time, they wanted more for their efforts. So they became pirates. Why steal from others and then give the bounty away to others?
Paul feels guilt for his actions. Yet the longer he serves as a pirate, the less in tune he is with his humanity. He becomes an animal, awash in alcohol and killing for practicality. His crew fear him. Has Paul become the bear? Or is the bear there to guide and protect him?
Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1 leaves you with more questions than answers. The intriguing work speculates on our place in the world. It suggests our connection with others and our planet. Perhaps even while alive, our souls are in tune with the dead. And then there are immortal beings who oversee the land and sea and cleanse the planet of our iniquities.
Art
Jonathan Marks Barravecchia’s art can leave you unsure of what you see. People and objects emerge from chaos, only to merge into something else. Paul Reddish exists at the heart of Barravecchia’s creation, changing shape until he achieves his final form. Yet the beauty and majesty of the sea come through. The ocean is a wilderness upon which man travels but scarcely understands. Winds fill sails and propel ships into storms. Paul and his crew meet people touched by the storm's otherworldly power. These visitors also exhibit animalistic properties. Yet piracy, and perhaps the bear, has transformed Paul.
Watercolors flow through inks in Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1. Colors dapple and merge. Blues and reds emphasize the differences between British Naval sailors and their pirate cousins. Yet color may leave figures entirely, creating white silhouettes within fields of grays and browns, all merrily sloshing together on the waves. Colorful pirates charge sailors, while Paul’s thoughts of home invite a sepia family portrait.
Barravecchia’s lettering fills dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. All look hand-printed and drawn, suggesting words written in haste, perhaps between battles on choppy seas. Letters range from tiny to immense, change color, and merge with art that beats and brawls with the fury of creation.
I apologize if this review seems less exacting and more nebulous than usual. Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1 defies description and characterization. This experimental work demands your attention. Seek it out and decide if it's right for you.
As for me, it blew my mind.
Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy for review.
Final Thoughts
Violent, otherworldly, and above all experimental, Bear Pirate Viking Queen #1 reminds us of the link between ourselves and our planet and how the inequities of society perpetuate cruelty and create monsters. This seagoing yarn will hurl you upon the rocks. If you survive the impact, it may just seep into your soul.
Rating 8/10
To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.
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