Sky Pirates of Valendor Series 2 #1

Title: Sky Pirates of Valendor Series 2
Issue: #1
Date: 2011
Publisher: Jolly Rogue Studios
Writer: Everett Soares
Penciler: Brian Brinlee
Inker: Alex Rivera
Tones: Jet Amago
Letterer: Steve Kuster
Editor: Amy Haley, Elizabeth Tramonti
Art Direction: Keith J Murphey

Captain Tobin Manheim is willing to give his ex-lover Shyni one chance to explain her involvement in the killing of his mother. But her story may open wounds that are too old and too deep to heal. The beginning of the second series of Sky Pirates of Valendor takes its time to deepen the characters and to delve into some of the political intrigue that Tobin and his crew are being swept up in. Shyni's background story holds together well, and that's in spite of me feeling like there's a bit of an overabundance of "cute girl trained to be world's greatest assassin" in comics these days. Shyni somehow takes that cliche and rises above it with some genuinely powerful interplay with a conflicted Tobin. The emphasis on character development over swashbuckling action in this issue will make the action that much more meaningful as the series progresses.

Rating: 7.5/10

Sky Pirates of Valendor Series 2 #1 was my first acquisition at Friday night of the Arisia convention (with a photo of the book "in the wild" at Arisia). I'll be reviewing comics obtained at the con all weekend, and I'm even planning to up the Comic-A-Day ante to include a couple of bonus reviews as time permits. The first night of the convention was a lot of fun in spite of us getting a later-than-planned start heading up to Boston. We got home just in time to get this posted right under the wire. We'll be heading out bright and early tomorrow and I'm looking forward to a fun day at the con.