‘Cannons in the Clouds’ Volume 1 Review

As you may have guessed by the title, Cannons in the Clouds takes place in a flying ships/Treasure Planet-esque kind of sky world. The technology du jour appears to be somewhere between the eighteenth and nineteenth century, with the tall ships from the era of pirates and privateers mixed in with what appears to be a burgeoning age of industry.

The story follows two teens, Seliandra “Sela” Windbourne, an heiress to some kind of bridge construction company, and Robert “Robb” Cadman, former employee of Sela’s father (a.k.a. Teddy Roosevelt’s doppelgänger). Sela is your typical pre-modern tomboy: loves ships, action, rough sports, and battle strategy but constantly at odds with her parents, who want her to grow up to be a high-society lady.

One evening after a particularly heated argument that had stemmed from the resignation of her third tutor in as many months, Sela runs away from home to avoid being forced to attend a fancy girls’ boarding school. About five minutes in to her ill-planned adventure, she comes across some shady goings-on at the bridge her father’s company is constructing. Being the bull-headed scamp she is, Sela charges in to see what’s what. She subsequently becomes involved in larger plot where several mysterious people of unknown social power are trying to scandalize and ruin her family. Not too surprisingly, Sela is unable to stop the thugs she confronted from blowing up her father’s bridge and only barely manages to escape when she jumps aboard a passing pirate ship.

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Luckily, Sela managed to jump aboard Captain Jenny Avery’s ship, The Banshee. Captain Avery quickly and obviously grows a soft spot for the plucky teen and agrees to let her tag along until they reach the next port. Once there Captain Avery hires Robb, who is looking for new employment opportunities after the death of his older brother in the recent bridge explosion. (Either that ship ride was longer than I perceived or Robb moves fast).

Robb’s first job as part of the pirate crew is to escort Sela home. The two (inevitably) run into some trouble along the way as they discover Sela is being framed for blowing up her father’s bridge. Unable to return home without being apprehended by the authorities, Sela brings Robb to the house of her friend Maya, who is able to sneak next door to the Windbourne’s house to tell Sela’s parents she is safe (for now). Since that safety obviously wouldn’t last long with the entire constabulary after her, Mr. and Mrs. Windbourne arrange to have her escape town on the next ship leaving port.

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The whole thing is a very cute romp following Sela and Robb, who despite being fairly typical teen action-adventure heroes, still manage to keep their adventure fresh and entertaining, albeit maybe a little predictable. The two characters play well off each other, and their personalities lend well to the believability of their fast friendship.

There are a couple of cheesy cameos while Captain Avery is hiring new crew members in the pub. They are obviously meant to be played for laughs but seemed rather out of place with the rest of the comic’s tone and humor. The best bits of humor were easily all the hijinks and general interaction between Sela, Robb, and Maya.

The artwork is a little awkward in some places, leading me to believe the artist is less experienced in drawing more action-oriented scenes, but overall is quite nice and suits the characters and story well. The style reminds me a little of sumi-e (think of the video game Okami) with its wide brushstroke-like lines. The colors are fairly typical digital coloring, but nonetheless very well done.

Overall, Cannons in the Clouds is definitely worth the read, especially if you’re in the mood for Robert Louis Stevenson-style adventure with a splash of lighthearted comedy. So get in touch with your rebellious inner teen and get ready for a fun adventure.

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