Back in Action
When you first open Knight and Squire #1, you may feel a bit befuddled. For those who don’t know, Knight and Squire are the British equivalent of Batman and Robin in the DCU. Lord Cyril Sheldrake, Earl of Wordenshire, Knight is a legacy hero following in his father’s footsteps who followed in the footsteps of the Shining Knight. Cyril adopted Beryl, a street kid, as his Squire. She has communication powers which are not explained and only mildly touched upon in this first issue.
Wholly situated in the Time in a Bottle pub, a once-a-month neutral zone for both villains and heroes, the first issue of Knight and Squire’s 6-issue limited series tells the tale of…well, it sets the scene at least. At the behest of Knight, Squire takes a pub newcomer under her wing and gives him the grand tour of the establishment. Along with Striker (a popular name as of late), we get a few flashes of the superheroic history of the United Kingdom. Then there is a brawl and that’s about it.
The artwork has an unexplainably British aesthetic. It is nearly unexplainable how much this comic oozes the British Isles. Maybe it is the fact that the creative team is English and they are being unapologetically English. Whatever it is, it works. It fits Knight and Squire like a perfectly molded cowl.
Despite not understanding some of the dialogue, due to my lack of a British-American dictionary, Knight and Squire #1 is a quintessential first issue. It gives the reader a taste of what you can expect when you pick up future issues: unfamiliar idioms, Batmen-esque stories with a British inclination, and a sprinkle of American knockoffs. This issue carries the new lower price of $2.99, so it's not too expensive to just give it a try.
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