By Benjamin Morin — Bermuda #1, the first issue of a new four-part series published by IDW Publishing, is a pulply action romp to its core. Parallels to the classic tales of Tarzan and Ka-Zar are easy to draw within this comic, and Bermuda seems more than ok with that. It's a debut that takes a classic formula and puts its own unique twist on it. With a standout art team behind it and a straightforward narrative, Bermuda makes for a simply fun and enjoyable comic.

Bermuda starts off as most castaway adventures do, with an airplane caught in a freak storm. Our protagonist Bobby and his little sister Andi soon find themselves wrecked on a mysterious island. Hunted by bipedal fish slavers and the island's various creatures, their only hope is a scrappy and fiery redhead, Bermuda. It’s a simple premise from the get-go, but Layman’s execution keeps the story engaging and moving fast enough that it’s not noticeable.

The characters here are cliche enough that one gets the grasp of their situations without much needing to be said in the dialogue, but it does not come off as tired. The dialogue and character work here feels snappy and energetic. This allows the Layman to further set up the world and its many moving pieces. For a single issue it accomplishes a lot in setting up the rest of the series. The issue also sets up an intriguing direction in the final few pages that will be interesting to see play out as the series progresses.

The artistic collaboration between Bradshaw and O’Grady sets the comic a step above the rest. They fully realize the whole island and give it its own flair. What could have been just a cut and paste jungle island, ends up looking fresh and exciting. Bradshaw fills each page with enough details to make the world feel lived in. His backgrounds and foregrounds are littered with dilapidated airplanes, skittering lizards, and other touches that add a level of believability to the world. O’Grady’s colors then come in and further enhance the work. The vibrant greens of the tree tops and multicolored flora and fauna leap off the page.

Bermuda makes for a fun and lighthearted read. Unhindered by continuity or having to set up a grand narrative, the debut is able to just provide an escapist adventure comic. While the plot and characters don’t break any new ground, the comic works all the same by making the most of its simplicity. The art alone makes this book worth a purchase and should be on everyone’s radar this week.

Overall: Bermuda is a straightforward adventure comic that knows what it’s doing. There can be beauty in simplicity and this comic excels at achieving it. 8/10

REVIEW: Bermuda #1

Bermuda #1
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Nick Bradshaw
Colorist: Len O’Grady
Letterer: John Layman
Publisher: IDW
Price: $4.99
Presenting a fantastic new adventure by New York Times best selling and multiple-Eisner award winning writer John Layman (CHEW, DETECTIVE) and gorgeous art by Nick Bradshaw (SPIDER-MAN, WOLVERINE).
There's a region in the Pacific Ocean where planes disappear, ships are lost, and traveling souls go missing... never to be heard from again. And there's an island within this place, mysterious and uncharted, an island untouched by time and civilization, where all who are lost end up. Bermuda lives here. She's 16, scrappy, and a survivor, and this has been the only life she has ever known... until today. She's discovered something on her Island that will either open a doorway between her world and ours... or destroy it!
More Info: Bermuda #1

Read more great comic book reviews here!

Ben is a comic buff and film fanatic. A journalism major by day and a comic reviewer by night, he avidly consumes all forms of sequential art. On Twitter, he goes by @BiglikeBen.