Captain Swing, Vol. 1

Goodreader, this was an interesting one. I saw this on the library catalogue during one of my idling about searches and thought 1)Warren Ellis? Don't I have a really awful book by him I really like? & 2)Electrical priates? Futuristic villains sailing in the skies? Sailing? In the skies? Pirates? After I calmed the inner eight year old, I decided to read this.

My initial enthusiasm was slightly dampened when I started reading. I'm not entirely sure why, but I found myself rolling my eyes and sighing a lot. However, then Captain Swing appears and he's a steammpunk pirate with his awesome flying ship and his feisty sidekick Polly (the feisty ladies of graphic novels, for once I'd like them to be Bruce Willis in Die Hard annoyed about shit spoiling their day).

This is one of those graphic novels that ticks a lot of boxes. Great artwork. Great concept. Interesting and engaging characters. Well paced action spurring you onto the next page and the page after. There were also two surprises, one bigger than the other, but both notching up the excitement factor. The ending felt a bit abrupt for a stand alone piece, but perfect if this was ever going to be a series (note to self: check if this is a series omg).

So yes, I really enjoyed this. It takes a moment to really get going, but when it does it's a great ride. Highly recommended. ( )

Readers uninitiated either to Warren Ellis or graphic novels would benefit immensely by reading Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island. On the one hand it's a brisk and bloody romp in a genre definitely not steampunk (as Ellis insists) but something that feels a lot like it. Sure, there's lots of metal and some gears but it's a story enshrouded mostly in fog, blood and sparks.

Captain Swing is a frenzied mix of clashing societal and seemingly fantastical forces. Enigmatic spring-heeled figures, harnessing blue lightning, are caught slinking about the streets and rooftops of London. Murdered Bobbies, drawn and quartered with all signs of foul-play pointing to the sky. Add to this confusion the turbulence of 1830s London with the eruption of the Swing Riots, the peasant uprisings against industrialized agriculture, combined with the full-on war between the emergent policing factions of the Peelers and Bow Street Runners. All these factors paint a story of change swaddled in bedlam, easily personified through the notorious visage of Captain Swing.

Ellis writes a deceptively pithy story. Course like the London grime, his dialogue, especially between his policing factions, is as bawdy as it's humorous and unsettling. Contrast this, however, to the utopian and progressive aspirations of his altruistic Swing. Thankfully, his own sentiment does not boil down to dualistic either-or scenario. Applying a shades-of-grey lens to the ideological questions concerning the nature of law, justice, piracy and knowledge, Ellis takes great care not to espouse any ideal but rather cloak it in uncertainty, showcasing only the confusion experienced by a rapidly changing English society.

The artwork of Raulo Caceres impeccably parallels Ellis's authorship. Shades of navy, amber, lavender and maroon deliberately permeate the work, highlighting predominantly the shadows of London upon each character, each panel. Only the blindingly blue sparks in this pre-electrical era add any brightness to the sketches, drawn in finely intricate woodcut fashion. It is equally fun to gaze at the panels as it is to read.

Captain Swing is a grand synthesis of fiction, history and dark, alluring artwork. Whether for the casual comic fan or for readers with a more academic scrutiny, this work is an impressive exposition on the continuum of societal bedlam and progress. ( )