Last Time
When we last left Nottingham, the Sheriff was sent overseas to secure the release of King Richard. Along the way, he had made an uneasy alliance with Robin of Locksley and some of his men. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Maid Marian had made an alliance of her own. With Little John and the remaining Merry Men. Which was made much easier with the Sheriff and Robin away. Their goal was to take back Nottingham for themselves. But it remained to be seen what that might entail.
Murder at Sea
Underway. The Sheriff and Locksley were standing on the deck of their ship, sailing toward their destination with the money for King Richard’s captors. While they were “supposed” to be allies, neither man trusted the other. Continuous recent battles would no doubt lead to mistrust. It also didn’t help that Locksley felt like Blackthorne had betrayed their King by abandoning the Crusades. But while they were squabbling above deck, a member of Robin’s entourage met with a demise most foul. Someone had killed the man and Robin’s men demanded retribution. However, the Sheriff wanted no more bloodshed. At least not until an investigation was done into who might have killed the man. The positive side was there were limited suspects since the ship had a finite number of people on board.
Nobles at Risk
Meanwhile in Nottingham, there was a new movement underway. Under the forceful leadership of Marian, the nobles were being targeted. Brutally and with finality. Little John questioned the possible wisdom of this strategy. How long would it take for the nobles to use their wealth and influence to build an army against their new regime? Needless to say, Marian was not cowed by such a possibility. In fact, if it were to happen, she welcomed it. No one could accuse Marian of being afraid of getting her hands dirty… or bloody.
The Case is Open
Back on the ship, Locksley has given the Sheriff a whole day to decipher who the murderer was. How absolutely generous of him. If Blackthorne had not “solved the case” by that time, then Robin’s men would pick a member of the Sheriff’s men to kill. An eye for an eye, kind of resolution. Of course, detective work was definitely in Blackthorne’s milieu. He and Robin examined the body and the stab wounds that were left behind. Both Robin and Everard recognized the marks. The killer had used a Saracen dagger. That would make the first logical step to search everyone on board and their belongings for such a weapon. Assuming they had not just pitched it overboard. However, Everard assumed that a weapon like that would be a kind of keepsake, not likely disposed of. In fact, the killer could be a former crusader.
Whodunit?
So, the search was on and as luck would have it, it was Blackthorne who stumbled upon the culprit. Who was the killer and why did they do it? That is the answer to be found at the end of issue 7 along with what other machinations Marian will put in motion. You can find out when you read Mad Cave Studios Nottingham: Kings Ransom, Issue 7th, in shops May 11th.
Thoughts
Only two issues in and writer David Hazan has already set in motion two different intriguing story lines. With the Sheriff and Robin’s uneasy alliance tested right from the start with a murder on board their vessel. Such a spark could easily result in a ship of corpses before it even gets close to its destination. I enjoyed the combative verbal jabs between Everard and Robin. But I especially like when Blackthorne goes into Batman detective mode. Sometimes, with artist Volt’s use of darks, especially around Everard’s eyes, and his heavy cloak, it does bring out a Batman kind of vibe. Never can go wrong with eliciting a Dark Knight feel to a story.
Bringing their A-Game
Hazan is also bringing his A-Game when it comes to Nottingham and Marian’s exploits. No stylized, septic scenes here. It’s down and dirty, bloody and not the least bit ugly. In other words, just as you might expect it to be in medieval Europe. Not to mention the dichotomy it brings to the lovely Marian. All of which Volt is capturing with some of his best work to date. No wonder that Nottingham is still turning heads and capturing readers. Be sure to check it out on May 11th, as well as Issue 6 and of course, Vol.1 of the Nottingham series. All found where great comics are sold.
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Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
