Review: Knight and Squire #1

Little time for an intro, so we'll go barebones: here's a review (with pictures!) of the first issue of the six-part Knight and Squire miniseries. Enjoy.

Knight and Squire #1

• Written by Paul Cornell
• Art by Jimmy Broxton
• Cover by Yanick Paquette

The first issue of this miniseries was a smashing success. I'm not sure if this will be six loosely-tied one-shots — the solicit for the second issue seems to indicate it happens right after the end of this one, but this was pretty much self-contained — or if the main story will be revealed next issue, but either way I'm very excited about this miniseries.

This issue is a good introduction to the world of Knight and Squire. There's a pub where heroes and villains come to get together and just have a good time. Some sort of truce magic keeps them from fighting while they're there and deposits them in separate places when they leave. It's a good setup for introducing the sort of characters Knight and Squire normally come across. Especially since I'm new to all this, it never drags or seems overdone.

The plot involves someone disrupting the truce magic so they can go hardcore and kill (like Americans) to gain more power (like Americans). Don't think it's anti-American. It's just honest about the differences between America (excess) and Britain (moderation). With our heroes being British, moderation saves the day. This more action-filled plot takes up about half the issue, with the character-and-world introduction taking up the first half. It's a good balance for an issue like this (first of a miniseries where readers may not — and probably do not — know anything about the characters or the world they live in).

Click to enlarge and read (what I assume to be) dirty British slang

This comic is very British. To an American like me, half the dialog must be deciphered (i.e., guessed at), but I love hearing/reading all the British slang, so it doesn't bother me — I eat it up. It may be off-putting to someone not so interested in such things, though. There is a fun page at the end that, while leaving the vast majority of the slang untranslated (a fair portion of which is pretty dirty, from what I can tell), does highlight some of the things that Brits would probably notice, but other would probably not.

The art contributes to the British feel. I especially notice it in the faces, which all look like Brits, not Americans. Even Knight, whose only exposed body part is his mouth, looks like an Englishman. It helps get the accents in your head as you read, because you can really see this or that person saying things a certain way. Even the designs have a British feel to them at times, though I can't place my finger on exactly why.

All in all, this was a really fun comic to read. It has a very whimsical feel, a nice look, and feeds my craving for British culture. Even not knowing what the overall plot is (or if there even is one), this comic has me wishing that this series wasn't limited to just six issues.