Pyrate Queen: A Most Powerful Depiction of Empowerment
Pyrate Queen comes from the overlooked writer of comics' British Invasion, Peter Milligan. Along with the Victorian colors of Tamra Bonvillain and presentation of Adam Pollina, piracy never looked more romantic. Of course not everything about it is exactly the most adventurous.
Meet The Pyrate Queen
The titular character Monday goes beyond the lady pirate archetype. Monday, practically born into and thriving in freedom finds the limitations of piracy's inclusiveness. She believes in character more than reputation, marrying a former Chinese prisoner out of love and protests against leaving African slaves to die. But perhaps the biggest obstacle comes when she is with child. The blaze of glory lifestyle of a pirate runs counterintuitive with giving someone a life without a choice. On that note, Monday's attempts to survive for her child's sake echoes the archetypical Mary Read and Anne Bonny; pirates are nothing if not survivors. Even if it won't sit well with some pro-abortion crowds.
But then there comes the parallels between pirates and royal navies. Pirates are crooks and killers by trade albeit democratic, while royal navies are hierarchal cults. The more abstract difference comes from how honest they are about their brutality. For the captain Monday goes against after he deceives her, his cruelty is a right he's earned. With not even his own crew to keep him in check, it feels like a life outside of piracy isn't that great. So where does Monday go even if she survives?
Shanty Illustrations
The artwork of Pollina and Bonvillain evoke the canvas print illustrations of piracy's golden age. The way Bonvillain uses painting-esque coloring makes this feel like a genuine pirate narrative. That's not even including how smoothly Pollina uses panels to present a dynamically moving narrative. From perspectives to close-ups, there's a real cinematic flair in Pyrate Queen.
Come Aboard With Pyrate Queen
Pyrate Queen is looking to one series from Bad Idea that everybody should pay attention to. From a narrative that celebrates and defies the Lady Pirate archetype to feeling like this actually happened. It's going to be one series, no one wants to forget. I give the series so far an 8.5/10.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.