I really had high hopes for this comic. I just really struggled to read it and it resulted in me not finishing it. The art style is a bit dated, I don't know if this was deliberate or not but it really took away from what seemed to be a decent story.

John Layman's intro talks about how the seed for this project was working out what he wanted to see Nick Bradshaw draw, and the answer was 'everything', which pretty much sums up the appeal. Dinosaurs, beastmen, and pirates rampage through the fabulous island of Trangle which, as that name suggests, sits on the other side of the Bermuda Triangle. Bermuda also being the name of the Tarzan-esque guide to this realm who takes the poor lost rich boy in hand and reluctantly agrees to help save his sister from the sorcerous slaver lizardmen. She's your standard Tarzan type, except female, red-haired, and less sexualised than that archetype usually is. Which detail aside, this is not remotely a subtle comic. It's absolutely ripping off kitchen sink settings like Weirdworld or Land Of The Lost, but Bradshaw does draw it all so well that I didn't mind in the least – though equal praise is due to Len O'Grady's incredibly rich and unabashed colours. I'll have forgotten the story by the end of the week, but I wish more comics looked quite this alive.

(Netgalley ARC)

Sounds like, if you'd ever come across the Bermuda Triangle before now, it may well have been a mispronunciation. Because when you go through one of the weird inter-dimensional doors in that part of the world, where you fetch up is Trangle. And there are plenty of things there to take the eyes out the middle of your face, too – giant mer-men creatures enslaving human survivors is just the start. But you might come across a feisty redheaded lass called Bermuda, and she and her mahoosive iguana thing might just manage to save your life. I mean, if you enter the twilight zone here she will be a more practical bet than your billionaire father back on the side of us mundies.

This is not a book to be confused for one with subtlety – it's sheer old-school entertainment. "Lost World"-sized critters, a female Turok-type lizard-whisperer, pirates, monkey pirates, and more mer-things than you can shake a quantum dooflidonk at. If you think this is nuanced, the promotional snippets of story are called "Bermuda Shorts". This, then, is for people who think that title on the genius side, and can revel in high-octane, all-ages-friendly action without needing to linger. The visual craft has to be noted, for cramming in no end of detail lesser books would not have bothered with, and although it takes us some great time before we really get a good look at all the iguana, mer- and other things in this world, the busyness of the page is only really on a par with the pell-mell action the plot provides. This is a success, as long as you leave your brains at the door somewhat.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This book has it all — adventure, pirates, and giant lizards at the Bermuda Triangle. Great for any adventure lover.

Plot:

Robert ‘Bobby’ Randolph’s life is about to change, when his father’s private jet crashes somewhere in within the Bermuda Triangle, with Robert himself on board. After washing up on a beach, Robert meets a strange young woman, along with some terrifying fish-men, who kidnap Robert’s sister for slave trade, but thanks to the aid of the young woman, who just so happens to be named Bermuda also, Robert is able to escape on the back of a large reptile.

However, Robert refuses to let his seven year old sister remain a slave to those terrifying Mer creatures, but finding someone to help on the island of Trangle, often only leads to more trouble, as the island is full of swashbuckling pirates, strange creatures, and magic. This is an island out of time, with traits that seem like something out of a fantasy book.

Meanwhile in the outside world, it seems like someone is trying to open a doorway to the mysterious island, and Robert’s father wants to get involved, in order to save his children. When the Mer creatures discover this plan through their blood magic, they vow to help the humans open the doorway between worlds, but they aren’t waiting for a friendly encounter, they’re ready to attack!

Will Robert be able to survive the harsh new world he has been tossed into? Will he be able to save his sister? And will the doorway between the two worlds ever be opened?

Story:

John Layman has created a story that is as exciting as it is intense, to say the least. Full of action packed sequences on an island shrouded in mystery, with all sorts of fantasy elements that leaves you wanting to explore the whole island. There is a great lore woven into the history of the island, some of which we get to read about, but I assume much of it is left unexplored…for now, at least in this first arc.

The young teenage boy, Bobby isn’t annoying as some young characters can often be in books, which is always a good thing, and the title character Bermuda is a badass! She has a lot of mystery around her, almost as much as the island does, if not more, so the reader is left with a lot of questions that will hopefully be answered in future story arcs.

The crossover between the two worlds adds a lot of variety to the types of characters that can be introduced into this world. In the first arc alone, we’ve had pirates, navy officers, and humans that arrive on a plane, but those are just the one’s who stumbled across the island. The exciting part is the natural beings of the island such as the Ver, the various creatures of unnatural sizes such as the Lizards and Spiders, and the Mer. It seems like this island is not just out of sight with the rest of the world, but out of time also, meaning you could bring in more prehistoric creatures that have thrived here, and also various other historic human civilizations such as Vikings (all of which are mentioned on the Map at the end of this book) so there are plenty more stories to come out of this island yet, for both the writer, artists and readers to explore!

Art:

Speaking of art, Nick Bradshaw’s art is incredible, as it really brings to life the unique creatures and beings of this island of Trangle. Together with Len O’Grady’s colours, the art in this book is bright, beautiful and quite frankly some of the best art I’ve seen in a book for a while, especially when it comes to the designs of characters.

With so many races, species and time periods merged into a singular story, the designs for the characters of this book are certainly unique without being unrecognizable. The pirates, for example, look as you’d expect pirates to look from their golden age of piracy, when there were more hook hands and peg legs, with large bushy beards and bad teeth, but the pirates in this story also have their own unique qualities that make them stand out from other books. The page in which we see the Pirate Tavern, is filled with all sorts of fun and unique designs that make each individual character in that tavern unique from any other on the page which just goes to show the level of detail that Bradshaw has put into this book.

The smooth digital colouring makes this book a delight to look at with it’s bright, vivid colours making each panel and page easy on the eyes, bringing to life the wonderous fantasy of the island, be it the deep greens of the jungle, the wooden browns of pirate taverns and their various techni-colour clothing. or the sea green colours of the Mers that give them their terrifying visage some real depth (pun intended).

Collected Edition:

Those of you who have read Bermuda already during it’s single issue releases should be aware that the collected edition TPB has lots of extras to offer. Between pages 95-128, there are LOADS of extras including variant covers, character designs, 2 short stories, page layouts and even a map! What more could you possibly want from a book that offers this much content!

Conclusion:

If you love fantasy mixed with the modern world, then this is a story for you. It has myster, magic and weird creatures with unique and awesome designs, so grab a copy and get reading. It’s a fantastical story of adventure and friendship that has plenty of action to keep the reader entertained from cover to cover.

This book will certainly be a hit with comic book fans who love action, adventure and fantasy.

Bermuda (TPB Edition) is available from the 1st of February 2022!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher IDW Publishing for a advanced copy of this all-ages graphic novel adventure.

The graphic novel Bermuda written by John Layman, and beautifully illustrated by Nick Bradshaw is the first four issues of a hopefully continueingr advernture for readers of all ages. Similar in style to James Robsinson's Leave it to Chance, which also featured a scrappy young lady fighting bad things, this also has a scrappy young woman fighting for survival in a mysterious island loaded with a bizarre assortment of humans and creatures.

Bermuda starts with a plane crash in a weird storm on an uncharted island, stranding a brother and sister, the children of a very rich technology leader. Within moments of reptile creatures kidnap Bobby Randolph's sister, and he only escapes the same fate due to the interference of Bermuda, a girl about Bobby's age, but with a knife and fighting skills that he does not. Fleeing on a pair of lizards, Bermuda tries to explain life on the island to young Bobby, whose desire to safe his sisters only cause troubles with other denizens on the island. Grudgingly Bermuda agress to help Bobby, and in helping reunite the siblings, might save the world.

The book is well written with a you can't turn the pages fast enough, this is fun kind of story. Nothing is heavy, the violence is straight PG, though Bermuda has Disney parents, dead offstage possibly horrible. There is a lot of potential for more stories, in case pirates, lizard people, U. S. Navy submariners aren't enough. There is a strong supporting cast, with backstories that are explained, but again can be used for further stories. The art is bright, clean and always moving, even in th quiet scenes you just have a feeling that things are happening, and the eye dances around the panel.

A great all-ages title, especially for kids who like adventure stories. Bermuda is fun, with beautful art, which is showcased on extra pages at the end with how the art was made. Lots of fun for young readers or older readers like myself, who just want to lose themselves in a story and get away from today. I am excited to read more.