By Jacob Cordas — I need to start this review with a disclaimer: I love pirates.* Sky, space, sea? Doesn’t matter. I love it. “But Jacob,” you may ask, “What about modern pirates versus high seas pirates?” Well first, thank you for asking. And second, doesn’t matter. I love it all. The personal joy I get out of pirates is hard to explain. I think it boils down to the beauty of the metaphor for freedom they inherently represent. 

When discussing freedom as a theme in storytelling there are two main genres that focus on it, the chase story and the pirate story. The chase story (epitomized by a film like Vanishing Point) is about the fight for freedom while society tries to strip it from you. These are stories about men and women having to hold onto their freedom as people rip it away. These normally end in tragedy (once again Vanishing Point). 

The pirate story, however, focuses on the adventure that comes from being free. The state may try to strip your freedom but it never can. The pirate is perpetually free. The world will never change that truth. 

A Man Among Ye #1 understands that to a tee. The creative team of writer Stephanie Phillips (The Butchers of Paris), artist Craig Cermak (Red Team), colorist Brittany Pezzillo (Black Terror) and letterer Troy Peteri (Amazing Spider-Man) have come together to bring a wonderful high-seas pirate story to all of us. 

Stephanie Phillips has been slowly making waves writing excellent miniseries after miniseries and this is just another notch on her belt. She understands the rhythms of the genres so well. The dialogue sounds like it was ripped out of a lost Italian classic.** 

I especially want to focus on the feminist reimagining of the genre. This is such a smart choice that reframes that same desire for freedom through a dynamically prescient lense. While this story is based on a historical character, it is still an active decision to tell this story and to tell it now. Embracing the political nature of pirate stories and reframing them in this way gives us such a strong modern take on a genre that is often brutally unkind to women (looking at you, Redbone). 

Craig Cermak’s art here is perfectly pragmatic. It’s kinetic when it needs to be, emotional when it needs to be, horrifying when it needs to be. Brittany Pezzillo’s coloring is bright and vibrant. She leans heavily onto primary colors to create a fun, colorful world that covers for the savagery about to come charging out of a door. Troy Peteri’s letters are perfectly chosen, leaving the text with a scratchy texture I wouldn’t be surprised to find on a letter in a bottle. 

As a lover of pirates, there is nothing to dislike here. This is dynamic and engaging storytelling. This is political and positively robust storytelling. This is what I look for in a pirate story and honestly any story. 

I am so happy to have something like this on the shelf again. 

Overall: If you like pirates, this is for you. A Man Among Ye #1 signals the start of a phenomenal and prescient take on the genre. If you aren’t a fan of pirates, still read this. Your mind will probably be changed. 10/10

*For anybody interested, here is a list of pirate media I made. I haven’t watched all of it yet. Please feel free to send me your thoughts on them. 

**Italian pirate films (and really adventure as whole) from the first twenty years or so of talkies are outstanding. I would highly recommend them to anybody interested. 

A Man Among Ye #1 - REVIEW

A Man Among Ye #1
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Craig Cermak
Colorist: Brittany Pezzillo
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Publisher: Image - Top Cow
Price: $3.99
High adventure on the high seas in the waning days of piracy, when men were men, and the best pirates were...women? Writer STEPHANIE PHILLIPS (Butcher of Paris, Descendent) and artist CRAIG CERMAK (Red Team, Voltron) bring to life the tale of Anne Bonny and Mary Read as they hoist the skull and crossbones, draw cutlasses, and seek a treasure that will make them legends. In an era when sailing with women was thought to be bad luck, Anne and Mary might just be the only people capable of saving the pirate way of life.
Release Date: June 17, 2020
Buy It Online: Click here!

Read more great comic book reviews here!

My name is Jacob Cordas (@jacweasel) and I am not qualified to write this.