So far my experience with Red 5 has been limited
to the brilliant Atomic Robo series. When I was sent
Bonnie Lass to review I was excited about the prospect of
checking out a new series from the publisher.
Reading Bonnie Lass, a comic about a buxom
female pirate named Bonnie Lass who is trying to outdo her pirate
father’s legacy, I couldn’t help but feel it was series created with
a little bit of inspiration from the Shonen Jump manga and anime
One Piece. There’s the small but loyal crew, unconventional and
daring captain, the beginnings of a quest for a great treasure and a
style of humor and art that closely mirrors what you would see in a
manga/anime. The similarities are not huge but I get a feeling that
Bonnie Lass could rock up in One Piece one-day and Loofy in
Bonnie Lass after the first issue.
As far as first issues go it’s pretty light on
for background information about anyone in the series. We get a few
bits of information about Bonnie and mentions of her father and a
plot to get her to discover a treasure she may be the only who can
find it but apart from that we are given no information about the
world of Bonnie Lass. Instead, we are treated to some laughs
and a fair bit of action. Where I’ve found Atomic Robo to
have more laughs than action Bonnie Lass was the reverse in
issue one with a bit of comedy and a lot of action. It’s a good way
to go about things as Atomic Robo has been such a well
received and successful series and Bonnie Lass will need to
do things its own way to emerge from Robo’s shadow.
One area were Bonnie Lass really stands
out is in its artwork. Like I mentioned earlier there are hints of
manga in the artwork, mainly the over the top reactions of Bonnie
and the discussion between Bonnie and Doogan. They are drawing
styles associated with manga but the use of very vivid colors that
really pop out of the page help to create a style all to its own.
The action is handled well and the pages have a good setup and flow
to them, but there wasn’t anything really remarkable about the
action. There weren’t any extravagant pirate-y setpieces like in
Pirates of the Caribbean or super-powered fights like in One
Piece that really stick with you.
Overall, Bonnie Lass was a fun first
issue. I’m finding myself looking forward to undertaking a treasure
hunting adventure with a group of pirates as it’s something I don’t
see too often in comics and Red 5 are giving it a good crack.
Recommended especially for One Piece fans.
