Pirate Eye Vol 1

Once a pirate with a keen eye for finding wealth in unlikely places, Smitty now lives exiled from the sea. Landlocked, he has carved out a new niche as a "finder," a man who, for a price, will utilize the same skills that served him as a treasure-hunting scoundrel to unearth any item, person, or secret. As his reputation and caseload swell, Smitty must contend with the gangster who all but rules his new hometown, a dangerous collection of local brigands and politicians, and the pall of threats from old enemies. Through it all his focus on what he values most-his own success-never wavers. Though his circumstances have changed, in his chest still beats the heart of a pirate!

Sometimes you just never know what kind of surprises are in store for you with a comic, regardless of the title.  You just gotta go for it as they say, and see how it turns out.  Luckily in this case, it also happens to be another Action Labs comic, and they’ve never let me down.  That continues to be the case with Pirate Eye, and the surprises were all good ones.

Until you start reading Pirate Eye, you may not know just how clever the title actually is, and the reflected premise for that matter.  It’s like a detective noir, only with a reformed pirate named Smitty, and without the trench coat.  This TPB collects the first four issues, each with their own one-shot story.  Even being separate stories, each manages to tell a solid tale involving Smitty using his old skills to get paid without having to steal for it.

The overall look of the artwork was darker, and rougher on the edges.  In this particular setting, that actually turns out to be quite perfect.  It’s a world of pirates blended with crime novels, so everything about it should have that feeling.  All four issues used this to their advantage, and all looked great.

One of the best things about this series is that they’re all one-shots, at least for the time being.  So regardless of whether you grab this first TPB, or each issue individually, you’re not going to be lost.  I really enjoyed reading this unique pirate story, and would highly suggest picking it up.

For more information on Pirate Eye or other Action Lab books, check out Action Lab Comics.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.  All thoughts, comments and opinions belong to the individual reviewer.