Longship GN Review
Time Bomb Comics
Written by: Lawrence Rider
Artwork and Letters by: Rebecca Teall
Reviewer: Ross Rivers
Review: VIKINGS!!! Pillaging and raping and pillaging some more! You can’t stop those guys. When they’re not doing that, they’re being superheroes who make exploding balls of lightning in New York! Trying to invade Earth? BAM! LIGHTNING IN YOUR FACE!
The story here follows Gary as he prepares to say a final goodbye to his deceased father. Before dying, his father spent a lot of time obsessing over Vikings. Starting with your basic picture books, he soon moved on to classes, movies, and re-enactments. Fair enough, Vikings are awesome.
But, towards the end of his life, Gary was asked to help build a longship, which he would then burn upon his father’s death. This isn’t exactly good guys beating the crap out of bad guys.
Instead, it’s a slow burning tale about grief and saying goodbye to loved ones. It’s all very full of feelings and such, something I’m not really an expert in.
The story is a fascinating read. Gary tells the story from his father’s growing obsession with Vikings, to the news of his illness and to his eventual death. There’s no action. It’s just people talking. It’s difficult to sum up a story like that and make it sound interesting.
But, with plots like this, it’s less about what happens and it’s more about how the story is told. Lawrence Rider’s script is very well written, for the most part. Each character has a distinct feel and comes across as an individual. There’s a lot of feeling in there.
It does have a bitter sweet twist at the end that elevates the story beyond the usual character based drama.
Sometimes it can feel a bit drawn out. Occasionally, I found myself wanting to just skip a couple of captions or even a couple of panels, because I knew where it was going. It is slightly predictable in places. But the characters and how they tell the story do manage to keep you reading, making you want to read the whole thing.
Besides that, it’d be stupid to skip anything; you might miss the art work.
Rebecca Teall’s work here is outstanding, if flawed in places. Each panel is like a full painting that can stand on its own but as part of a story, it becomes even more interesting. While Teal doesn’t have much experience with projects like this, her skill is obvious.
In an interview right here on IndieComiX, she cites the likes of Calvin and Hobbes as influences and that’s incredibly evident in Longship. It has a newspaper strip feel to it, only on a much bigger scale.
The fact that Teall also works for her local newspaper “The Coleshill Post” might also contribute to that newspaper strip feel. Seems like more than a coincidence.
As I mentioned before, it is flawed in places. The colouring is, at times, flat and lifeless. I can’t quite tell if this is done on purpose, though; towards the end of the book, things get a little more... Magical. I suppose that’s the best word for it. But everything looks amazing in these scenes; each panel is full of colour and imagination. Intentional or not, though, it is a bit off putting.
It doesn’t have exploding balls of lightning. That is a flaw you’ll be able to get over easily enough (I just about managed it...). But it is an excellent story with fantastic art. It’s definitely worth your time.
Editor's Note: To see about how you can acquire your own copy of Longship, head here!
Time Bomb Comics
Written by: Lawrence Rider
Artwork and Letters by: Rebecca Teall
Reviewer: Ross Rivers
Review: VIKINGS!!! Pillaging and raping and pillaging some more! You can’t stop those guys. When they’re not doing that, they’re being superheroes who make exploding balls of lightning in New York! Trying to invade Earth? BAM! LIGHTNING IN YOUR FACE!
The story here follows Gary as he prepares to say a final goodbye to his deceased father. Before dying, his father spent a lot of time obsessing over Vikings. Starting with your basic picture books, he soon moved on to classes, movies, and re-enactments. Fair enough, Vikings are awesome.
But, towards the end of his life, Gary was asked to help build a longship, which he would then burn upon his father’s death. This isn’t exactly good guys beating the crap out of bad guys.
Instead, it’s a slow burning tale about grief and saying goodbye to loved ones. It’s all very full of feelings and such, something I’m not really an expert in.
The story is a fascinating read. Gary tells the story from his father’s growing obsession with Vikings, to the news of his illness and to his eventual death. There’s no action. It’s just people talking. It’s difficult to sum up a story like that and make it sound interesting.
But, with plots like this, it’s less about what happens and it’s more about how the story is told. Lawrence Rider’s script is very well written, for the most part. Each character has a distinct feel and comes across as an individual. There’s a lot of feeling in there.
It does have a bitter sweet twist at the end that elevates the story beyond the usual character based drama.
Sometimes it can feel a bit drawn out. Occasionally, I found myself wanting to just skip a couple of captions or even a couple of panels, because I knew where it was going. It is slightly predictable in places. But the characters and how they tell the story do manage to keep you reading, making you want to read the whole thing.
Besides that, it’d be stupid to skip anything; you might miss the art work.
Rebecca Teall’s work here is outstanding, if flawed in places. Each panel is like a full painting that can stand on its own but as part of a story, it becomes even more interesting. While Teal doesn’t have much experience with projects like this, her skill is obvious.
In an interview right here on IndieComiX, she cites the likes of Calvin and Hobbes as influences and that’s incredibly evident in Longship. It has a newspaper strip feel to it, only on a much bigger scale.
The fact that Teall also works for her local newspaper “The Coleshill Post” might also contribute to that newspaper strip feel. Seems like more than a coincidence.
As I mentioned before, it is flawed in places. The colouring is, at times, flat and lifeless. I can’t quite tell if this is done on purpose, though; towards the end of the book, things get a little more... Magical. I suppose that’s the best word for it. But everything looks amazing in these scenes; each panel is full of colour and imagination. Intentional or not, though, it is a bit off putting.
It doesn’t have exploding balls of lightning. That is a flaw you’ll be able to get over easily enough (I just about managed it...). But it is an excellent story with fantastic art. It’s definitely worth your time.
Editor's Note: To see about how you can acquire your own copy of Longship, head here!