Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas Is a Fun but Flawed Pirate Romp
- WRITER
- Sam Maggs
- Artist
- Kendra Wells
- Publisher
- Amulet Books
- Price
- 16.99
- Release Date
- 2021-02-09
Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas puts a new spin on the kinds of pirate tales that audiences have been eating up for decades. The primary difference between this graphic novel and something like Treasure Island or Pirates of the Caribbean is that it centers pirates who aren't men. It's a refreshing change of pace, though the actual story pacing leaves a lot to be desired.
Written by Sam Maggs and illustrated by Kendra Wells, Tell No Tales is an original story narrated by the infamous Anne Bonny, whose crew attempts to outrun and then outsmart a powerful and terrifying pirate hunter. There's actual history here, as well as a great cast of characters, but the plot itself is too weak to sustain the length of the book.
Seeing these characters rise to a challenge together and make important steps in their personal lives should be more empowering than it is. Unfortunately, the overall vibe of Tell No Tales is somewhat off. Wells' character designs and backgrounds are detailed and beautiful, the colors bright and the panel flow easy to follow, even when the book steers away from traditional page layouts. It's a beautiful book, and it makes the need for more comics about Anne Bonny starkly apparent.
Where Tell No Tales falls flat is its script. The dialogue gets clunky anytime there's necessary exposition, and the narrative asides from Anne often feel snarky in a bad way. Furthermore, curse words are replaced with emojis, which is ostensibly because this book is aimed at younger readers -- but the effect is less funny and more grating than Maggs and Wells surely intended it to be. There are brief moments where the characters' individual voices shine, and each time it feels like a breath of fresh air.
It's easy to root for these characters, but the actual stakes of their fight are never established in a way that feels urgent. Mostly, there's a lot of talking about the threat, and characters worrying about getting hurt or killed. It's a classic case of "telling" rather than "showing," which in a graphic novel is an especially egregious error.
Overall, Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas will likely get its targeted audience interested in history and pirates, and it gives them a window into that era that isn't dependent on the whims of men. It also normalizes LGBTQ identities and experiences and reaffirms that LGBTQ people have always existed, which is especially important for younger readers.
Those looking for a robust, bawdy, original tale about queer pirates defeating a terrible evil won't necessarily find that here, but the characters and art make it worth a browse, at least.
Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas is available now, everywhere books are sold. A review copy was provided to CBR.