Renderwrx Productions

Bonnie Lass #1

By Michael Mayne and Tyler Fluharty

Published by Red 5 Comics

“Bonnie Lass” spins the yarn of a brash and daring young heroine and her two muscle-headed sidekicks as they set out to build a reputation as swashbuckling pirates to be envied and feared. Bent on overshadowing her father, the infamous Cutlass, Bonnie’s after the one treasure he did not claim — the Eye of the Leviathan. But there are other forces at work seeking to claim it for themselves.

Bonnie’s world blends the familiar cultural motifs of the most legendary sea-faring pirates of the 1700s and 1800s with a the tone of an American western and a dash of modern-day technology like automobiles and GPS.  The unique setting lends unexpected and wildly entertaining twists to a traditional pirate tale.

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Review by PD Houston:  Red 5 Comics is probably best known for their successful comic Atomic Robo, but as with a lot of other  modern publishers they are now expanding into the digital market, and Bonnie Lass is their first comic for that format. “Bonnie Lass” was created, written and illustrated by Michael Mayne.

I read the first issue and I don't know if it's intentional or not, but all of Red 5's books have this happy & bright feel to them. The stories are never dark, the art and colors never dull or or muted. I'm not sure if it's an editorial mandate or just how it's turned out, but Bonnie Lass is a very bright/fun book. The colors are bright and bold, the art is reminiscent of cartoon animation seen through an amerimanga filter. It's a quality book, it looks really good.

But the story is rather uninteresting. It's formulaic and pedestrian. I've seen this sort of thing hundreds of times before. And can probably predict where this story is going. (Geez so the girl is mistaken for her father whom she hates, but "unintentionally" imitates. I can only wonder what will happen at their heavily foreshadowed eventual meeting. Der... such turmoil, my oh my.) I'd like to say then this book is intended for kids judging it by it's simplistic story, but with a few cuss words spattered throughout the book I know it's not. Obviously Red 5 comics saw something in the concept to give it it's due, so I should probably wait to judge it completely until after the first few issues.

And maybe it's just me, but I couldn't stop thinking of how much this book reminds me of the super popular manga One Piece. And are there more and more comics with pirates coming out? Are pirates about to become the next zombie? I would like to give the second issue a read when it comes out  to verify or dismiss my assumptions, but I can't see this comic being anything close to special. Not to say the art isn't good, because it's really good. It's just not a style that everyone will like, but it's appealing in it's exaggeration and vibrancy.

If you like fun colorful books that are easy to understand, with a lead character with plenty of cleavage and bare skin to spare then I recommend this book. If you like books that are a little more challenging, then you'll want to give this book a pass. All in all though I would like to keep an eye on this book at least to see how artist Michael Mayne's art continues to progress, as I could see him having a healthy productive career in comics once he gets the proper fan attention.