Sometimes, in my massive stack of chronological comics, I come across something I never even heard of.
That happened the other day with this interesting little item.
I give you....Captain Confederacy #1!!
It's by Steeldragon Press, so you know it has to be good (j/k).
It's a black and white comic. I am on record as saying that black and white rarely makes a comic better. But, in those rare instances, it really adds something. This isn't one of those rare instances. In fact, since the Confederate Flag, which derives much of it's meaning from its similiarities to the American flag, is featured so prominently, this comic suffers from that lack of color.
Also, the themes of race so prevalent in the comic seem to scream for the addition of color to help make certain thematic points.
The actual pencils are...well...functional. They certainly aren't top quality. I never heard of the artist, Vince Stone, before, but am guessing he never had a gig with a major comic company. However, like I said, the art is functional. It isn't bad enough to be noticeable and detract from the story, as many of these real obscure comics do.
The actual story is very complex and interesting. In fact, it is too complex for me to attempt to sum up.
The writer clearly took his time and worked through several drafts before submitting the work. As a reader you can really tell he took his work seriously. There are no plot holes, or laughable plot devices. There are no obvious cliches or cookie cutter characters. There are no intelligence insulting moments or leaps of logic.
They have created an alternate world (loosely defined thus far) in which the Confederacy won the Civil War. Loosely defined is a key term. The writer never smacks us over the head with that information. As a reader we have to draw the conclusion based on the information the writer does give.
This is not a comic for those who prefer their entertainment obvious.
This is also an adult comic with adult themes. There is murder, racism, sex and nudity. None of it is graphic or unnecessary, which, again, is a credit to the writer.
After completing the read, I felt the need to read it again (and, with the sheer volume of comics I have to read, I almost never do that).
I am actually considering this one of my surprise reads of recent memory. I am not blown away by it, but I care about the characters and am engaged to the point that i am rehashing it to make sure I have caught all the nuances.
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Bordering on 3 out of 5 stars.
Good read. very engaging for anyone who enjoys more adult themes (and, by adult I'm not talkign "crossed" type of adult. I am talking real world type of adult themes)