Now this is a new one. I had a problem with the beginning of this comic. It said that they were called the Barbarossa brothers because of their red beards, but neither of them had red beards. It is not a good idea to start out by confusing your audience. But don’t worry, it gets better. Barbarossa is about two infamous pirate brothers. In issue #1 Hizir, the younger brother, is attempting to kidnap Julia, the daughter of a wealthy Duke, simply because the Duke said that Hizir could not do it. Still it seems that Julia and Hizir have a bit of a history. The Dukes men give chase, and the pirate ship and one of the soldier’s galleons get stuck in a storm that takes them to a very strange place where they are promptly attacked by monsters. (Along with a very lame line from Pirates of the Caribbean.)

Written by Brian Augustine, Barbarossa seems like an all around fun book with interesting, distinct characters, a likable roguish captain, a lead lady that can hold her own in a swordfight, and a magical world for to explore. The dialogue isn’t Shakespeare, but it is still pretty good, and the book is just fun to read. The art, by H.S. Park (penciler) and Y.C. Jang (inker) is a little vexing as it goes back and forth between detailed and cartoony constantly. Also, it seems like at times there is too much focus on little details and not enough on characters. Still, this is a long comic, so perhaps they were pressed for time.

This is going to be a fun series, but I really hope they get the art a little more stable. It is obvious that they have a lot of talent. I am looking forward to more of it; though it isn’t for everyone, but man does it have good comic sounds such as Splatch and Kleesh.

 

-Fumanchu