Isaac The Pirate Vol 2 : The Capital

European Comics
Isaac The Pirate Vol 2 : The Capital
By Hervé St-Louis
May 31, 2005 - 12:02

NBM Publishing
Dargaud
Writer(s): Christophe Blain
Penciller(s): Christophe Blain
Inker(s): Christophe Blain
Cover Artist(s): Christophe Blain

In the second volume of Isaac, the painter turned into a would be pirate, our hero struggles to escape death on the high seas near the South Pole. There’s a new mutiny onboard the ship, threatening the delicate balance achieved in the previous volume with the death of the Captain. But finding new allies on this ship is not all, once Isaac makes it to the land, he finds that being a pirate follows him even on land.

Even if one hasn’t read the first volume, it’s easy to jump into this one. All characters may not be familiar, at first, but it really doesn’t matter. Pirates are a shifty bunch and all one needs to know is that survival is a priority. Blain shows this very well. He shows us how Isaac turns into a petty villain in a matter of days. Like all his friends, like Larcenet, Trondheim and Sfar, Blain has a frank storytelling method, where unimaginable things look normal.

The artwork is not engaging at first. Looking at the cover, one feels that this book is some depressing Russia tale. It’s not. Blain’s etching style closely mimics that of printed serials from the past, setting the mood perfectly. I’m not sure his style would work on something modern. As for his storytelling, it’s excellent and dynamic. In many ways, it feels like George Herriman’s Krazy Kat.