Knights Vs Pirates – Comic Review
Given the speed with which I backed Knights Vs Pirates on kickstarter, the fact it’s taken me this long to review it is frankly shameful. Come on. King Arthur and his Knights facing off against Blackbeard and the crew of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, created by Jay Martin (ALV) and Chris Imber (Operation: Boom, The Last Sheriff), with the latter on art duties? No brainer. I followed the process on this one with interest via the Reckless Hero instagram account, watching characters and then pages take shape. It looked to be an absolute blinder. And it is.
Knights Vs Pirates Synopsis
Bear witness as the most feared pirate ever to sail the seven seas, Blackbeard himself, and his crew of ruthless cutthroats face off against the most revered King to ever rule over Great Britain, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
On a quest from God, King Arthur has dispatched three of his most trusted Knights to search for the Holy Grail. Unfortunately for the King, he is not the only one that seeks the sacred prize. The King of the Britons will be tested like never before. He will put his life on the line for the sake of his country and for the sake of his people.
The infamous pirate Blackbeard is on the hunt for the ultimate power, power that will allow him to rule over the seven seas for all of time. But, his reward won’t come easy. Blackbeard will have to use all of his cunning and brutality if he has any hope to defeat some of the greatest warriors that the world has ever seen.
Blood will be spilt but which hero will prevail?
What’s good?
I love a good Arthurian tale, and I love pirates. Smoosh those two together, throw in some mystical shenanigans and you can’t go too far wrong. Have you ever wondered who’d win in a battle between Knights and Pirates? This book does a brilliant job of pitching that battle!
What at first seems to be a fairly simple premise actually develops an interesting twist – that the legendary Excalibur is actually part of the trident of Poseidon, stolen by Nimue and hidden by the wizard Merlin. Together with the Holy Grail, long sought and now found by Arthur’s Knights, it would give the vengeful Sea God far too much power.
But… King Arthur and Blackbeard lived in very different times (don’t give me any “King Arthur wasn’t real” guff, I’m not listening). So how on earth can they end up together? Did you miss the part where I said mystical shenanigans and Merlin? There’s some time-bending fun courtesy of the Bermuda Triangle that brings the two sides together, and the two things Poseidon wants within his reach. It’s neatly plotted, making full use of medieval weaponry, modern firepower and sorcery to build up to an action packed finale.
Chris’s distinctive style, enhanced by the glorious colours of Chris Jenkins, makes for a crazy, action packed romp that does not let up from start to finish. There are several double page spreads throughout the book that are so eyeball-poppingly full of detail (like the one below) they had me fetching my jaw back off the floor. It’s a beautiful book for sure, one I am very happy to have on my shelf.
You can get your own copy of Knights Vs Pirates here. It’s available as either a soft cover (£12.99) or an oversized hardcover (£24.99).
