The Arctic Marauder

Let me preface by saying that the illustrations in this graphic novel are by far some of the best pieces of artwork that I have ever seen! When artwork this good is placed next to text, the story pales in comparison. Such is the case with this graphic novel.

A ship is sailing peacefully in the arctic when a crewman spots another ship perched atop an iceberg. The captain from the first ship sends a dinghy out to the stranded ship in hopes of saving the passengers or at least discovering how the ship got there. When they arrive, they find that all of the crewman on the stranded ship have frozen at their posts. The men turn around in time to see their own ship explode before their eyes. Their future seems beyond bleak and the perched ship sends them on a mysterious journey.

In many ways, the story is classic Steampunk. The graphic novel is in an oversized format which perfectly fits the larger than life tale. The drawings are absolutely beautiful and far outshines the writing, which is also lovely. I truly wanted to love this graphic novel and while I adored the drawings, I did not fall in love with the overall package. Therefore, I have to give it three stars as I found the story confusing and secondary to the illustrations.

-DLP