Talk like a pirate day may not be until September but Sea of Thieves, based on the upcoming XBox One video game, will have people breaking out the eye-patches early and calling their friends “Mateys.” I am usually not a huge fan of video game tie-in comic books as the stories often have to be shoe-horned into their video game continuity (check out Street Fighter) but Sea of Thieves has two things going for it; it is a new IP and pirates are awesome.
This first issue sets up the Sea of Thieves’s pirate world with its supernatural elements but wisely ties the story line to the more grounded focus of family, specifically the children of the greatest pirate ever to live, DeMarco and Lesedi Singh. They are returning to their missing fathers bar to meet and old associate who was tasked with giving the pair the secret to finding and navigating the Devil’s Shroud which hides the legendary Sea of Thieves from the outside world.
DeMarco and Lesedi are competing with each other to find the lost sea and the treasure it promises, each with their own crew which is limited to four, just like the video game. The writing by Jeremy Whitley is fast and a lot happens in the first issue but the set up pays off by the final panel, all killer and no filler. The artwork by Rhoald Marcellius is great with easy to follow action, expressive faces and characters that pop off the page.
As a promotional piece to the upcoming game, it succeeds in getting the reader vested in the games universe and actually made me even more excited to finally set sail in the game when it is released next week. Even if you aren’t a gamer you will find a lot to like with this one, the world needs more pirate comics and this one fits the bill perfectly.
Sea of Thieves #1
Titan Comics – $3.99
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