Z-View: The Mercenary Sea #1

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The Mercenary Sea is an on-going series created by Kel Symons & Matthew Reynolds published by Image.

Writer: Kel Symons

Artist: Matthew Reynolds

Action and adventure set in 1938—The South Seas. Japan has invaded China. War in Europe is imminent. Ex-bootlegger Jack Harper captains The Venture, a refitted German U-Boat, with a crew of expats, mercenaries and treasure hunters. They do whatever it takes to stay afloat, often running up against pirates, headhunters, spies, and soldiers. They’re always one step away from the greatest score of their lives…or their certain demise.

The Pitch: ”Hey, someone in comics should do a pulp action comic, you know a real throwback about a ragtag group of mercenaries led by an Indiana Jones-type who loves adventure and righting wrongs.”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “Nice work if you can get it”

The Overview: Jack Harper is the leader of a group of mercenaries who make their living searching out adventure and taking jobs that bring them into contact with pirates, cannibals, treasure and the occasional job that pays real money.

In the first issue we meet Jack Harper (romantic adventurer) and his crew…

  • Wulf Renner, a former German U-Boat captain with a mysterious past
  • Jarreau, a former French Legionnaire and resident cook
  • “Smokestack” Jackson, a heavyweight contender framed for murder and on the run
  • Toby, who used to work for mobsters
  • Milton Weatherborne III aka as “Doc” a disgraced British Army surgeon who lost his medical license and a patient when he operated while drunk.
  • Samantha, the team’s mechanic and daughter of a moonshiner Jack used to work with

*** Beware – minor spoilers are found below ***

The Good

  • The logo for The Mercenary Sea is one of the best in recent memory.
  • Love the cover.  Nice design, colors and execution.
  • Matthew Reynolds‘ art.  It’s got an animation feel to it that I like.  I first became aware of Reynolds’ art on an independent comic called Marlow.  I liked Reynolds‘ art then and he’s improved a lot.
  • Kel Symons introduces a fairly big cast, backstory and lays the groundwork for adventures to come without sacrificing a fun story.
  • Special kudos to Matthew Reynolds‘ coloring of the issue!
  • The first issue ends on a cliffhanger!  (As it should considering it’s source material.)

The Bad:

  • While I like Reynolds‘ art I think he overuses silhouettes and blurred backgrounds.  It’s not that I don’t like those techniques but if used too often they can lose their impact.

The Ugly:

  • Harper and his crew run into a tribe of cannibals in the jungle.  There’s a set-up and payoff on some humor that works.  I think it might have worked even better had the cannibal tribe (especially the chief) look like cannibals.  The cannibals looked more silly than scary.  So yeah, this “ugly” is that they weren’t “ugly” enough.

I look forward to the next issue of The Mercenary Sea.

Rating:

 

Additional Source Material: CBR.com Interview with Symons & Reynolds.