Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Rebels #1
Dark Horse Comics
Wood, Mutti & Bellaire
"Rebels" is comic book about the beginnings of the American Revolutionary War with England. The opening issue introduces a couple of characters and sets the general stage. The comic is a good start to what is definitely aimed at the history buff reader. I recommend giving this a look if you are into American History. I would not classify this as a war comic though. This is a good comic.
The comic book covers a very select section of the colonies as it lets the reader follow the revolution from a small town perspective. This works well, but I couldn't help but wonder how news could possibly travel over so many miles when the winds of change occur in any kind of succinct manner. This book shows a little bit of the slow moving nature that results from places being so spread out.
Wood introduces the main character, Seth, as he learns the basics of life from his father. Their first encounter with the British happens when Seth is still very young. Not much comes of this in terms of war and the book then fast-forwards to when Seth is a man.
The book then shows a little bit of the British oppression and how their ruling takes place over such a wide territory that minute-to-minute decisions seem impossible. The revolution doesn't really kick off in full effect in this issue but there is some tension that happens.
The comic's strength is in the characters. Wood has a knack for writing characters that are appealing, particularly strong female characters and this is the hook for this comic. It's not entirely clear what the story will look like issue to issue. I'm not sure if little problems will keep popping up until the war starts or if the war is literally in the next issue. It's hard to say what the desired pace of this comic is now or what it will be in the future.
The artwork is very beautiful. The book has a rural look to it as much of the book is set in fields and the woods. This is executed with great detail. When dealing with the characters there is definitely a grainy look that is more of the old Vertigo house style. Generally the comic is very colorful though which makes certain things pop, such as the Red Coats. This is a very good looking comic book.
Rebels is aimed at readers that have an interest in period-piece comics from hundreds of years ago. A reader that isn't interested in American History could still fall in love with the characters but eventually this comic is going to get more political and that might turn some folks off. For now, this is an entertaining read covering ground that isn't often covered in comics. This is a good comic to give a try.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
