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COLONIA: ISLANDS AND ANOMALIES TP
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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AiT/Planet Lar
Writer/Artist: Jeff Nicholson
Price: $12.95 US |
I've been hearing good things about Colonia for a long time, but I've always passed it by, thinking "Maybe next time" or "one of these days, I really need to pick that up." When a trade paperback was announced, it was time to stop putting it off and see what I was missing, and as it turns out, it's quite a lot. Colonia reminds me of so many things that I love, books like Akiko, Castle Waiting, Bone and Zot!, but it has a style and approach all its
own. There's a wild sense of imagination, mixed with impressive research and
featuring whimsical and entertaining characterization and artwork.
The basic premise of the book
is odd enough, as a boy and his uncles find themselves captured by 17th century
pirates after a fishing trip. However, as the boy begins to explore, he comes
into contact with more strangeness, including the odd fishy fellow on the cover,
mermaids, female pirates and a talking duck with a taste for adventure. The
whole thing sounds like it must be rather bizarre, closer to Grant Morrison than
Jeff Smith, but in fact Nicholson keeps all the strangeness easily understood
and carefully orchestrated.
Nicholson's world-building skills are quite extraordinary, perhaps not up there with Finder's Carla Speed McNeil but certainly impressive.
His research into ships and history is clear not only in the text material that
fills out the back of the trade but also in the story, as lead character Jack
and his friend Kelsey discuss history and how it has changed in the world where
Jack finds himself. In addition, the feeling that Nicholson is trying to convey,
capturing the magic of 17th century pirates, comes through in the artwork and
the writing. There's a sense of adventure and fun throughout the entire book.
The artwork is as engaging
and as expertly crafted as the writing, reminiscent of artists like Terry Moore
and Jeff Smith and showing just as much range. While Nicholson is gifted in
delivering facial expressions and imaginative costumes for his characters, as
well as conveying humor, he can also handle breath-taking bits of scenery and
detail, as shown in the heavily-researched depictions of pirate galleons.
What I get most of all from Colonia is the sense of a wider world, a world full of adventure for the protagonists to explore. Pirates, talking ducks, mermaids, parallel worlds, there's enough material in this book for years and years of adventure. Though it is a fair chunk of story, Colonia: Islands and Anomalies is only a mere window into the world that Nicholson
has created, and after reading this trade, I find myself eagerly awaiting the
next one.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
