Captain Eli is a young undersea explorer, who has a desire for adventure and a knack for building things. He has a strange connection to the sea, and given that he was found in a pod floating around in the sea, there may be more than meets the eye with young Eli. One day, he decides that living on land won't sastify him forever, and feels that he must return to the sea and luckily for him, his adopted parents gave their blessing. Eli goes off into the deep sea with his new submarine that he built all by himself, along with his trusted companion Barney the dog, and Jolly Roger the parrot who talks.
This first volume of Capt'n Eli included the Mystery of Me, and Acts 1 to 4 of the Mystery of the Sargossa Sea stories. I enjoyed reading the adventures and mysteries that all happen in the deep ocean, it's told in a very simple and straightforward way, even though some of the things that happen are far from easily explained. There's time travel, mysterious strangers and all sorts of bizarre things occuring in this volume to Eli and his new seasearching team. The first story "Mystery of Me" was a much simpler and slower story as we learn all about Eli, and the later The characters are genuine and caring people who harbour a deep love for the sea. Captain Eli is a likable character, and seems much older than his age somehow with all his wise understanding of how things work. The second part "The Mystery of the Sargossa Sea", is another mystery story that Eli can't help but immerse himself into, even if it means running into danger!
The artwork is refreshingly different. It's a mixture of traditional hand-drawn art, and 3D artwork that. I really enjoyed the simple representations of the characters and the amazing looking backgrounds as it all blends in to create a really nice effect where Eli really seems like he is underwater most of the time. The artist has done an excellent job with the art, by creating an exciting and imaginative world underwater that's waiting for Eli to explore.
This graphic novel is aimed at a young audience (7 - 12 years old) although I think it has an all-ages appeal to it, and people who love the sea will appreciate this story more. I enjoyed the Silver Age superheroic feel to this graphic novel, it was fun and enjoyable. There are also some cool extras with pin-ups by Steve Rude, Herb Trimpe and Howard Chaykin. There's an introduction by Charley Parker of the Argon Zark! webcomic included in this issue as well as a back-up story featuring Commander X. The writer also has some short explanations of how the Capt'n Eli graphic novels came about. If you want to find out more about this graphic novel series, the website can be found at - http://www.captneli.com |
