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REVIEW - SKY PIRATES #1 (of 5) from Free Lunch Comics
Sky Pirates #1 (ADVANCE)
Review by Dave Baxter, posted February 12, 2008
Words: Everett Soares
Pencils: Brian Brinlee
Inks: Michael W. Kellar
Cover Colorist/Interior Tones: Jet Amago
Price: $3.95
Publisher: Free Lunch Comics
When it was little more than an arrangement of character sketches, bios, and an eight-page sequential story short, Sky Pirates wasn’t, ultimately, strong enough to walk away with the grand prize in Dimestore Productions’ 2007 Small Press Idol competition. But the concept was arguably the most enticing of the entries: pirates that sailed upon flying ships inside a futuristic though classic high fantasy setting. For all the judges’ critiques as well as suggestions given by fans, one thing was unanimous: everyone wanted to see more of the property. Win or lose, everyone wanted the real thing, the full-on full monty comic.
So a half-year later, here we are: Sky Pirates, a five-issue mini published through Free Lunch Comics with the promise of more, should the book prove popular. Thankfully, creator Everett Soares and artist Brian Brinlee have two things going for them from the start: 1) the book already has a vocal and passionate fan base culled from the contest (no soul could resist a bear wielding a giant hammer!), and, 2) the first issue of this new mini far exceeds expectations.
The scripting of the 8-pager that ran during the SPI contest was only quality in part, on the whole striving to accomplish far too much without proper character build-up. But the deft handling of the characters, situations, and action inside Sky Pirates #1 is superior on all fronts. First off, Soares has crafted a fantasy world that could easily translate into a novel or series of such, so intricate and thorough is his world-building here. He hasn’t merely filled in the gaps to a standard fantasy mold via Mad Lib structure—(character name) of the (race) hated by the (race) who worship the (god) seek the (item) to fulfill the (prophecy) although (twist of story)—but instead he’s crafted a fully functioning world, with a history and numerous nations, races, politics, religions, etc., that simply continue to function. Everything isn’t tossed into a single plot, nor does everything hinge upon a single action. The world continues as any world would, because Soares has designed a believable, workable universe in full, the heroes and villains of the story, then, the focus but not the locus; they move to the setting, and not vice versa.
Beyond this unexpectedly subtle and developed sense of design, Soares also surprises by moving with a casual, steady flow narratively. No longer rushed to cram high-drama moments back to back inside a scant handful of pages, Sky Pirates #1 manages to carefully plot moments of character kitsch, naturally occurring action sequences, hints of history both personal and otherwise, and weave them together into a rare-to-find, assured action debut. As much as I enjoyed Soares’ concept during the contest, I wasn’t expecting anything so refined as the tale woven in Sky Pirates #1. For those who caught the story entered into the competition, or managed to snag a copy of Issue #0 (a collection of all the bits and pieces thereof), I’m happy to report: all the relationships and high points seen previously are continued herein, and then handled with a far greater skill and panache than previously experienced.
Brought kicking and screaming out of Soares’ head and into the real world, then, is art by Brian Brinlee, now joined by inker Michael W. Kellar with lush grey tones by Jet 
Amago, and with these three together, the crew of the Rogues Revenge look better than ever. Brinlee is allowed a wider breadth and range to his design and composition, due to the higher page count and a wider variety of scenes. Better yet, he’s lost none of the previously showcased clever action choreography and character expression of Issue #0. Kellar proves a consistent and strong inker while Amago’s tones offer a truly enhanced final package.
A shockingly well-written book, with greater depth to the characters and environment than its preview portended, better looking, too, with smooth, skilled artwork—Sky Pirates #1 from FLC is a marathon of leaps and a bounds beyond its predecessor, #0. For anyone who thought the original package held potential, or for anyone who plumb thinks pirates and flying ships are always worth a gander, this new series looks to barrel over expectations and satisfy, through and through.
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Check out the video trailer for a cool compilation of nearly everything found inside the rare Issue #0.
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