Skull and Bones: Savage Storm #1
Script by: John Jackson Miller; James Mishler
Art by: Christian Rosado
Colors by: Roshan Kurichiyanil
Letters by: Lucas Gattoni
Man may attempt to lay claim to the lands, but the waves lord over all while calling none their master. Despite her autonomy, for centuries the oceans have been the source of successes and sorrows for all who set sail. With Dark Horse Comics new series Skull and Bones: Savage Storm the two most important are featured in the title. Because even though it is the crew responsible for engaging in the battles, the real war occurs between the sea and the skeleton.
The origins, and even meaning, of the skull and (cross)bones – as it is used for piracy – can be debated. But when you look at this symbol, against the backdrop of the battle in this first issue, what the flag symbolizes starts to stand out. Skull and Bones: Savage Storm shows just how connected the boat – this body – is to the brain that commands it. Neither is enough without the other; together creating legends. The ship is possibly the captain’s greatest treasure, while without its captain the ship is without a wheel or rudder.
This understanding of the flag’s origin fits with the description of Skull and Bones, Ubisoft’s upcoming PC and console title, which is set in the world in which Skull and Bones: Savage Storm takes place.
At the end of the 17th century, tales of a legendary heist attracted young outcasts from all over the world. In search of untold fortunes, ordinary men and women headed far from home. Armed with only their instincts to survive, they risked it all for a chance to attain immeasurable riches.
The writers responsible for the script, John Jackson Miller and James Mishler, use this series as a map and compass to point players towards what is to come. If the game will give players a chance to rise through the ranks, Skull and Bones: Savage Storm highlights the skills and savagery necessary and the spoils supplied to those who chose to set sail on the seas.
The issue opens on a raging, roaring sea as The Sylvia attempts to outrun her pursuer, The Margarete. It’s said that too long at sea can drive men mad. That is exactly the look artist Christian Rosado gives The Margarete’s captain, John Scurlock. The foam and spray aren’t just from the waves as this crazed captain commands his crew to not retreat. This battle captures the behaviors of both pirate crews, the panic and the anticipation of the prize aboard one.
While the pirates battle each other with bombs they also must manage the beating their boats are taking. The artists contributing to Skull and Bones create the illusion of motion, giving the waves the appearance of motion. It helps add a level of tension that is hard to understand unless you are in the moment. As a typhoon overtakes The Margarete , Rushan Kurichyanil captures the intensity with lightning and waves converging on the pirate craft.
They say it’s impossible to resist the call of the ocean. The possibilities and prizes it offers are endless; as are the perils. There is truth to the narrator’s words In Skull and Bones: Savage Storm #1 that no one can have the title to the oceans. During a time of tales made upon the untameable waters some will seek freedom in the only title they could own – Pirate Ship.
In Word and in deed.
Score: 8.2