Pirates Vs. Ninjas

Publisher
Antarctic Press
Writer
Fred Perry, Robby Bevard, Wes Hartman
Artist
Craig Babiar
Country of origin
US
Length
4 volumes
Year
2007

Pirates vs. Ninjas #3 & #4 of 4

By David Rasmussen
28th Apr 07

Arr… everytime I think of this franchise it reminds me (painfully) that I have to review Pirates of the Caribbean 3 : End of the World’s video game tie-in this sum-- (blinks) -- (holds up Wiimote) -- Wiimote + nunchuck + innovative gaming style + game I’d rather not review =… whoo!
Hmm. Thanks to the Nintendo Wii I think I can stop being down on Pirates and learn to enjoy titles based on Pirates -- since I am not dreading the review of Pirates of the Caribbean anymore.

OK. I’m over that now. Let’s review.

Last time out we met both sides of the equation, and learned abit about the conflict which brought Pirates together vs. Ninjas… kinda. Unfortunately while they clashed we never really got the sense of WHY they had to clash, just that they did, and the events that spun from that had lead to this new confrontation years later. The events’ ending, chronicled in the third issue, tells of how we’ve got to this point (and how the one artifact that has been the “Easter egg” of this delightful little hunt came to where it is now) but now it just needs to tell us one more thing… at what point again does this series actually give us that choice we’ve heard about in advertising again?

Sadly if I thought this second half would open up the ninjas side of the equation, and show us their motivation (or some light at the end of the tunnel that shows some reason to rally behind their banner other than the fact that they’re ninjas) I was sorely disappointed. However the reason for these particular pirates having to be brought to this particular island for this confrontation comes to light as of Issue #3, and… yes… it makes sense. Seems that the pirate ship held something in a most unlikely place that the ninjas needed, which (once obtained) sets off a chain of events that will bring about the second “war” of Pirates vs. Ninjas. This is especially brought about as we find somebody is the reincarnation of the ninja from the original conflict (I bet you saw that one coming), and that “Easter egg” we’ve been looking for ends up in (or over where a hand used to be) the “right” hands (I.e. the pirate captain as it should be).

Then the book ends, we’re told to come back in the summer for a sequel, and then we have to figure out what we’re going to do after this.

First off the good points.
Strictly as a Saturday matinee popcorn muncher, Pirates vs. Ninjas delivers what it promises. Action, humor (abit on the nasty side but that’s OK since we’re all adults here), abit of plot twistin’ and logical progression as we watch the events that happened before (in the aftermath of the first confrontation between pirates and ninjas) roll into what has come to pass now (with results that should not be surprising but logical nevertheless since we should have seen this all coming -- though I do admit a few finer points were a shocker to me since I thought certain events would come out differently than it did in the end results).
Came for a action yarn that delivers AND promises you more to whet your whistle on during the dry intellectual drought of the summer months? Then this is your title -- yes, I know, the only intellectual drought is on the video gaming front when it’s a rarity to find a good video game, until at least the Fall when all the companies start chucking out their finest wares in warming for the Christmas season, but same thing. I have to review video games and it’s always hard to find good ones during the summer.

However be advised it’s got that Star Wars thing to it.
Yes, you can pick sides between Pirates and Ninjas. Just be advised that means you’re either going for Lawful Evil (Pirates) or Chaotic Evil (Ninjas). Oh, you want to know who you should pick from the side which is best scripted and explained. That’d be the Pirates since the Ninjas seem to lack any real depth, and at no time does this series even attempt to show you their side of the coin (and why you should have sympathy for them and want them to win out in the end), since mostly they are the cannon fodder evil of the title, and not the “other good side”. Sad, but true.

July 2007 means Pirates vs. Ninjas : Up the Ante, where the final fight to end all fights begins -- and this story comes closer to a true conclusion. But, for now, Pirates vs. Ninjas is taking a brief break until the sequel so we’re just catching our breath between original and sequel here.
Guess that’s about as good a time as any to give this a score.

I’m edging the score up, since as a popcorn munchin’ action yarn this title does exactly what it set out to do. No more, no less, Pirates vs. Ninjas is your standard action drama which sets you up and leaves you wanting more (which you’ll get in July of this year), thus in a sense we can call this title “mission accomplished“ since it has done exactly what it has set out to do. No more, no less, wish there were more but I‘m glad with what we got (so there). Because of this, and it’s simple goal to entertain you (which it did) I’m going to give Pirates vs. Ninjas (the first book of four issues total) four honorary shakes of the Wii nunchuk out of 5.
And yes, we’re not done talking Pirates vs. Ninjas, but that’s a review for July of 2007. Stay tuned.

-- David Rasmussen 28th Apr 07