The Corsair by Tarek and Vincent Pompetti REVIEW

A graphic novel that doesn't quite deliver on the promise of the premise.

the corsair

It is unusual to start a book review talking about the publisher, but I just want to give a shout out to Black Panel Press, the indie publisher behind The Corsair. Their mission is to translate foreign comics and graphic novels into English, expanding the reach of the creators and widening the market for us readers. It’s a very worthy goal, and I’m even more impressed that the man who translated The Corsair into English, Andrew Benteau, is also the founder of Black Panel Press. He’s a busy guy.

The Corsair, written by Tarek and illustrated by Vincent Pompetti, is a swashbuckling graphic novel that tells the story of some French corsairs who discover a magic lamp and set off to search for treasure on the mysterious Isle of Espadon. They’re pursued by pirates and have to fight off some Espandon residents in their search for the treasure. (If, like me, you didn’t know the difference between a corsair and a pirate, there’s a handy guide in the back of the book. If you’re wondering, corsairs were legitimised by the state to do their plundering, whereas pirates were run of the mill bandits.)

If the story sounds a bit wild, you’d be absolutely right. There’s no apparent reason that a magic lamp, containing a genie who is a distant cousin of the guy from 1001 Nights, would be hanging around the port. It is barely mentioned that the Isle of Espadon was visited by the Hispaniola, which is the ship from Treasure Island, and nothing more about that fact ever comes up. I’m not completely sure why Britain is referred to as Albion, the oldest known name for the country. All that being said, I’m willing to accept the overlapping and varied mythology Tarek presents me with here.

What I’m less willing to accept is the slightly stereotypical presentation of the Espandon ‘natives’, and the fact that their leader is the son of a white man who tricked them into thinking he was a god. It feels like a tired story, and with the fantastical blend of myth, story and history that sets up the premise, it also feels a little bit disappointing.

The Corsair’s real strength lies in the illustrations. Vincent Pompetti has a bold watercolour style, and interesting character design. All of the characters look like real people, with real people beauty and flaws. Captain Roscoff and his first mate, Grimm Oyre, are my favourites in terms of their vibrant, alive design. Pompetti’s style also really compliments the scenes at sea (of which there are, of course, many). I’m not often interested in battles, but I lingered over those pages.

At just over 70 pages, The Corsair is very short. I am assuming that there are planned sequels, as the story ends perfectly to set up for one. The novel starts out strong before not really delivering on the promise of the premise from the first few pages, but Pompetti’s art and the fact that this is a tale told from a very non-English speaking perspective means that The Corsair is an interesting and visually compelling read.

Review copy provided

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the corsair
Verdict
Vibrant art work and an interesting historical premise save this graphic novel from being a little bit tired.
6.5