The Viking has come to England to reclaim what’s his. The Queen with the might of The British Empire behind her, stands in his way. Your Major Spoiler review of Bear Pirate Viking Queen #2, awaits.

BEAR PIRATE VIKING QUEEN #2

Writer: Sean Lewis
Artist: Jonathan Marks Barravecchia
Letterer: Jonathan Marks Barravecchia
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 5th, 2024

Previously in Bear Pirate Viking Queen: The Viking has taken control of the boat, and through the tempest, he heads to England. It’s a land he has ancient history with, and a land whose queen is dressing for war with him.

THE VIKING

Bear Pirate Viking Queen #2 opens up shortly after the events of the first issue with The Viking having taken control of the ship. As the crew takes their leave, he recounts the story of how as a child he was taken into the woods and put through a brutal coming-of-age ceremony and how as a man he was able to choose his name, Heimdall. On the ship, he speaks with his slaves and reminds them of what The British Empire had taken from them, and asks them to use their powers. They agree and unleash the power of a storm on a British naval ship. The Viking arrives in London and begins searching the streets for something important. He eventually comes to a house where he discovers what he had left hundreds of years prior. Meanwhile, a group of British soldiers watch on, until The Queen arrives and quickly removes the general from his position for not killing The Viking. Inside the house, Heimdall speaks to the children who live there as he prepares for a confrontation with The Queen.

TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING, NOT SURE IF IT SUCCEEDS

Bear Pirate Viking Queen #2 is not what I would consider a plot-heavy book. Nor would I say it is trying to be. In terms of events moving into other events, this issue moves very quickly. In fact, the plot comes off as secondary here, it’s more of a vehicle to get one character into one place or another in order for them to be able to deliver some sort of profound statement on the nature of man. Much of this issue reads like an attempt to present a treatise on the effects of colonialism and the imaginary line between it and conquest. Not to say that it isn’t well written, there are some great turns of phrases here, and all the main players get some solid characterizations as well as their chance at being dramatic and mysterious and important. It just doesn’t coalesce into something that has real depth, even though it’s trying desperately to be something deep. Considering this is only a three-issue miniseries and how slow this one felt, it’s hard to think that this is going to ramp up into something satisfying, nor does it feel like it has much else to say.

A BEAUTIFUL WATERCOLOR COLLECTION

There’s been some decent hype surrounding the art in this series and for good reason. The watercolor art on display is absolutely gorgeous. It’s a bit more subdued in Bear Pirate Viking Queen #2 as opposed to the first issue, but that doesn’t stop it from being a joy to look at. Every page feels like something that could be in any art gallery out there, with tons of little details and metaphors dripping off the page just like the paint. It’s just not well suited to help tell the story. In many ways, the art feels separated from the rest of the issue. There’s just enough there to recognize what characters are present in the scene and who’s saying what, but often times these images feel like concept art, portraits, or full-on paintings that have been cobbled together in a way that makes the most sense for the issue.

BOTTOM LINE: MAKES A SPLASHY IMPRESSION, BUT FAILS TO LIVE UP TO THE HYPE

Bear Pirate Viking Queen #2 is by no means a bad comic. It has beautiful art, a unique voice, and an approach to comic book storytelling that sets it apart from the rest of the books out there. It just can’t manage to take these advantages and deliver something with real depth and cohesion. There’s a lot of talking, but nothing is said with any real bite. It’s packed to the brim with beautiful art, but none of it feels like it’s in service of the story. It’s just a rare occurrence of something being less than the sum of its parts. 3 out of 5 stars.

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