By Jean Dufaux & Jérémy
Publisher: Cinebook
ISBN: 9781849182577
In Revolts we get to see a very nicely designed bit of crowd entertainment in the form of a sunken ship’s hull, just barely visible about the waterline, in which two sharks are kept. As part of his punishment Raffy must cross this ‘tank’ balancing on a beam, his back recently lashed, blindfolded, and after being forced to down a lot of rum. Perhaps the last ingredient was a slight overstep by the creators, but the result, and the execution, is rather good, so it can be forgiven.
The island that has become a haven for the pirating types is now under attack from the Spanish, demanding the return of Dona del Scuebo, and in a rush to protect their own interests and perhaps even take advantage of the situation, betrayals, crosses and flight are the order of the day. Raffy choses to seek out Maria, Maria is using her cuckolded husband, and Emilio may just be the best bet of them all.
By this volume there are lots of characters and groups with varying alliances and affiliations, not all respectful and convivial, so with the arrival of the Spanish galleons things get shaken up once more, but surprisingly, through the chaos, some sense of order presents itself resulting in a few surprises.
Like Cinebook’s utterly wonderful The Scorpion, the artwork in Barracuda is painstakingly painted to ooze atmosphere. The really enjoyed the look of the shark tank scene, but there are many other moments when an awful lot of effort has been put into single panels or scenes that should be appreciated. As for the story, it feels like with this issue there’s some consolidation and greater focus on the three main characters having used the previous volumes to set their back story and develop their motivations. Quite what this will mean going forward we’ll have to wait and see.
And if you liked that: Volume 5 coming soon
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