|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Dan Polley If pirates appeared in modern times and took over the New England coast, you’d have the setting for Becky Cloonan’s “East Coast Rising.” The book is one of Tokyopop’s original English language graphic novels, but it clearly has some Japanese influences. The book follows Archer, a runaway boy who finds himself adrift at sea and being attacked by pirates. As the opening sequence plays out, we find Archer much in need of rescue from a bunch of New Jersey pirates — complete with giant sea creatures in tow. Luckily Archer’s tale is far from over as he finds his way on board La Revancha, a pirate ship. On the ship he finds some friends — and a new home. As Archer continues to find himself becoming more settled in his new-found setting, he finds himself divulging to the captain of the ship the real reason he decided to run away. With this newfound information, the crew of the ship decides to test his fate. Members of the crew also decide to take up old grudges. The story is set in the future after New York City has been deluged with great floods, putting most of the modern-day metropolis below the growing aquatic line. However, it’s this environment that provides for the action and adventure as future pirates tackle each other — and deathly creatures from the deep — using advanced warfare tools and old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. Cloonan’s art provides for some of the setting itself. Her bold lines help add depth and darkness to her characters. Yet her characters, at times, are still able to be filled with lightness that serves as a contrast to her art and helps to show the characters developing. The plot itself is off the wall — but that’s a good thing. Allowing her imagination to run wild has shown that Cloonan has the ability to provide for an entertaining, light-hearted ride through the book. It’s a great book for a rainy day weekend, or just for when you have a few minutes to spare here and there. The book is the first of a series for Cloonan, and she said the second volume is expected to be released sometime in 2007. Comment on this review of East Coast Rising v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
