Captain Nemo V. 1

Last time I reviewed a major seafaring title for Seven Seas it was Destiny’s Hand.
Good timing with it coming out around the same time as Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man’s Hand, Destiny’s Hand gets you your dose of Pirates but won’t chase you away even if you are not the most intense fan of Disney’s Pirates.
But when it comes to Captain Nemo, on the other hand, you might fall into one of four camps when it comes to the good (or bad) Captain.
Camp 1 is the purists. Those who know the Captain from the writings of classic literature futurist Jules Vernes (who wrote of science fiction that later became science fact).
Camp 2 is an offshoot of Vernes, but is the later movies and TV adapted version of Nemo. From the classic Disney movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to the recent Made for TV adaptation of Mysterious Island featuring Patrick Stewart as Captain Nemo.
Camp 3 is Anime Otaku, who remember that the good Captain appeared as a main character (along with his Nautalis and crew) in Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water cult classic TV Series (if I got the title wrong I am so bad, sorry). This is one of the most interesting versions of Nemo out there right now, and if you’ve seen this series you know how good it is.
Camp 4, finally, is from he who mainstreamers know by heart, he who looks like he was cloned from Charles Manson… you know, creepy fan favorite creator Alan Moore. That’d be Captain Nemo from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (who featured Sean Connery in the movie version that fans… well… were not all that happy with from my understanding of the movie).
Now we have Camp 5, and an AmeriManga version of the good Captain in Captain Nemo.
It’s 1893, and the world is not the way you might remember it.
Instead of biting the Russian Jinx, and then getting the whammy at Waterloo it seems Napoleon (who was not as short as people seem to think he was) went on to rule the world (Pinky not included… narf!)
Now presently under the rule of Napoleon IV, the world is ruled by a tyrannical France and looking for someone to free it from it’s oppressive French rulers… that’s where Nemo comes in.
Not the original Nemo, but instead his son who (in a brand new Nautalis) carries on his own war against the terror of the oppressive Napoleon IV. As the story begins he finds himself taking in a “new crewmember” in the form of a spirited yet troublesome woman named Camille (the daughter of the important man onboard the ship attacked by Nemo, who was charged with destroying Nemo) who somehow ends up siding with Nemo before the end of the story… after, you know, she spends quality time with Nemo and the crew and finds out the fate of the original Nautalis and that whole love story thing comes up as Nemo makes some moves on her and… well.
The crew is interesting in their make-up, including a sexy female doctor slash assassin (who knows where to put her blades in people and then knows how to patch up her booboos if she misses the mark… nice), a rather young Chief Engineer, and an albino second mate. Oh, and ships that really push the envelope on imaginative use of “past-future” tech (just a few in this one but more to come in Volume 2 I’m sure).
As the story ends Nemo’s newest crewgal is set on her first task as she, the sexy doc (daughter of Jack the Ripper) and the Second Mate set ashore on a free Japan (not yet bent under the rule of Napoleon IV)… so will she take this opportunity to run away? What will happen to them while in Japan? Guess you’ll have to wait to find out next time… but for now let’s break this down. (Bonus material at the end!)
Captain Nemo Breakdown the 1st
What’s Hot?
I do like the intriguing premise set by this alternate reality story, and I do hope as the series rolls along it’ll make a mark and make an impression with me.
What’s Not?
However it started slow, I can’t look at Nemo without thinking “Captain Harlock pretty boy style” and I’m still waiting for the story to really blast off into the stratosphere and the story to really start cooking.
It has potential, and I do have faith that this is going to get hotter as it goes, but for now I’m still waiting for the potential of this title to bank out full and pay off.
Moments to Remember?
It has it’s moments, you’ll see.
What to Ignore?
Fast paced bang bang thank you ma’am it ain’t. It’ll keep you dangling and make you come back for Volume 2 to see where the title goes from there.
Again there is potential here for a truly engrossing engaging and hard hitting title, but for now it’s only just getting warmed up and the sky is the limit as to where the future will take the title.
Overall?
Captain Nemo is a promise that I’m waiting to invest in more when 2007 rolls in and Volume 2 hits.
So, because of this, let’s even hand Nemo and give it the promise of a 3 out of 5... With an eye in the future of a higher score if the title begins to pick up the pace and really cook.
I’m looking forward to the future of Nemo with high expectations. I expect good things in 2007 when this title returns once again, so stay tuned for the next review in the coming months.