REVIEW: Princeless: Raven, The Pirate Princess #6
On a quest to find her long-lost brothers, Raven the Pirate Princess and her crew need to stop off for supplies and information at a safe haven created, in large part, by Raven’s Mother. Splitting the crew into three teams may allow for greater coverage but also leads to a the ladies of the high seas being left all that more vulnerable.
Written by Jeremy Whitley, creator of Priceless, this book is mix of an old school world with some new school attitudes. It’s an all ages book, however, I think the main target audience is young girls from around 8 years up. As such, the characters come across like a gaggle of school kids. Any parent who has hosted a “PJ party” for their daughter and her school friends, will no doubt see the parallel. Each character has their own voice, even if Sunshine does seems just a little to twee to be fully realized. The dialogue is fun, with some very clever touches. The story itself is a tad predictable, but remember it’s not really aimed comic book reading veterans. This means that for the target audience, the twists and turn may cause the surprise that Whitley intended.
The pencils by Rosy Higgins are quite simple in execution. There is a level of detail in the backgrounds that help to anchor the world, with the simplicity of the faces and poses of the various characters allowing for the mix of art and dialogue to drive the emotions felt by the characters. Ted Brandt helps out with layouts and inks. In my head, this means that Brandt set the table, Higgins pencils over and then Brandy applies the finish. Is this a means to act as a learning curve for both artists, a way for them to develop in areas that they feel weaker in? Whatever the reason, the art works throughout the book.
Lets be honest. This book isn’t aimed at me in any shape way or form. Regardless of my own personal dislike for the pirate genre the book was more engaging, than some of the mainstream efforts, when attempting to reach the same audience. The characters are a likable bunch, with various foibles and quirks, giving the crew a real feel to them. Who knows. maybe Pirate is the New Black!
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
STORY BYÂ Jeremy Whitley
ART BYÂ Rosy Higgins, Ted Brandt
PUBLISHER Action Lab Ent.
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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