Red Seas, an apology

[ukdane]

I AM SORRY!
Just wanted to apologise for saying all along how bad I thought this was. For the most part, I didn't enjoy this story, I thought it was let down by (the normally excellent) Yeowell. And I had/have no interest in Pirates.
BUT
The last part was IMO not only very, very entertaining, but also extremely well drawn!

There is little doubt in my mind, that there will be a Red Seas II, (the devil says "this isn't over", and on the next page "so it's over?", "For now."). I hope when it does return, the artist whom ever it is, does a (overall) better job (give it to a new gut Tharg, like Adrian Bamforth!).

Anyone know if that pokey little building where the Dr.'s head is being stored in Oxford (last 3 panels) is Rebellions HQ? If so, hats off to Mr. Yeowell!

[Art]

Rebellions HQ looks like a garage from the outside.

[ukdane]

What about the 2kad office then? (haven't they just moved)

[rius]

I enjoyed 'Red Seas' as a disposable tale a la 'Cutthroat Island' and with heavy overtones of Tim Powers' 'On Stranger Tides'. However, I think Yeowell is fine drawing it, it's just that it *needs* to be coloured - just like his work on the Devlin Waugh epic Chasing Herod/Reign of Frogs/Sirius Rising.

[Art]

AFAIK its still the same postal address and it still looks lkie a garage form the outside. Its certainly not going to impress the laydeez as much Kings Reach Tower when Thargs flying it through interstellar space.

[DavidXBrunt]

Liked it at the start (episode 1 was great), thought it went off the boil, but it redeemed itself later on. As Tharg has already said there's going to be a Red Seas II, (and the fact that it had a sub-title should have been a clue) I'm looking forwards to book II.

I just hope we learn the casts names next time.

[captainskank]

Have to agree, Red Seas was truly bad.
What's happened to Steve Yeowells art for christs sake.Just look at Zenith phase 1 for how good he can be.
Looked like something that was banged out on a lunch hour.
Or was it supposed to be in colour?
That shark a couple of issues back was awfull.
Check out HOOk JAW for how sharks are meant to be.

[Tiplodocus]

Strange but despite the lack of characterisation, I still enjoyed Red Seas.  

It rattled along at a fair old pace after the shark appeared - probably as many action pages as the fight at the end of ASYLUM - but I didn't get bored with it.  

A bit too much infodumping in the last episode as well.  

But despite these faults, I'm hungry for more which has not been the case with a new strip for ages (and that includes the retroblast return of old favourites).  

I guess I just like the premise; pirates, zombies, great steaming arses etc.

[seeneester]

I liked it, I always did, it entertained me and I don't have to justify liking it if I don't wan't to. But I will say that I am able to read strips with the same enthusiasm I displayed as a child without my grown up over-analytical qualities spoiling what is a cracking read. Remember it's just a bit of escapism isn't it.

[Devons Daddy]

i enjoyed it but felt the art could have done it more justice.i enjoy B/W but this was to monochrome for its own good. which is sad as steves stuff is normally excellent. this was a bit lazy looking.
the story was good for a change of style.i kept at it and did not stop reading it each week. not a classic, but not a Bison either. if book 2 is done im sure it will offer greater depth to enjoy.
entertaining stuff. but it was up against asylum each week. that was tough fight to be in.given its subject matter and artistic direction.
overall a good read, i will read again in a few months. completley. it will read better then.
slow boiler.

[HiEx]

Red Seas was utter shite IMO. I'm so sorry that we will have to suffer a sequel. I'd rather they just printed blank pages instead.

I feel Steve Yeowell really let us down with his abysmal art on this one.

HiEx

[Oddboy]

I really enjoyed it - it were a bloody good romping swash-buckling yarn.
The art wasn't bad either, but I agree that it could be improved with colouring.

Nowadays people seem to think black and white means black lines on white paper (although this is better than, if you remember, the Judge Karyn series in the Meg (Vol 2) which was white lines on black paper & completely incomprehensible) whereas old progs used to utilise shadows & shading (I believe the technique is something like 'Linograph' but that's not a word so someone help me out please!)

[Slippery PD]

Personally, I liked Red Seas.  

But at the end I did kinda feel shortchanged.  There wasnt a lot of character development, I mean was Dancer or Isabella the hero????   The plot was simple and the art kinda compliment it.  I , like others, felt that Yeowells art was not his best.

But it has two major plus points,
1.  Its not Sinister Dexter, which IMHO, is currently the worst thing I have read in a prog.  All the other terrible stories, have eneded to me SinDex seems to come back again and again.
2.  The opening and the last episodes were just brilliant.  If that sorta momentum could be sustained I think that the story has great potential.

Yer Slippo    

[Devons Daddy]

im not sure if its a word, but we seem to agree on the fact that B/W art is not black and white. its art that does not use the colours of the rainbow.
see classic gibson dredds and robo hunter. or the orginal dan dare in the first year.
harlem heros etc.
but swashbuckling has place and i look forward to a second installment. would enjoy to see gibsons take on such a project in full monochrome
( old school). or perhaps jock could do it more justice (new school)

[paulvonscott]

I thought Red Seas was a breezy, fun strip, and in the absence of anything more interesting, I'd like to see it back.

Having said that it had lmost too many faults, which I hope are sorted out for series 2.

I'm starting to get a little tired of hearing 'well, I didn't like it/it didn't make much sense, till i read it all in one go'.  It's a weekly anthology comic, surely it's one of the writers basic tasks to make sure it does work from week to week.