Soon to be a motion picture, Caliber is one of Radical Publishing first comics, it was released in 5 different issues, but now collected into one book. The story is a re-imagination of the Arthurian tale. But, instead of knights, kings, and castles; we have indians, brothels, saloons, and a dirty old town.
The premise – King Arthur is thrusted into the Western world. Instead of Merlin, he is guided by an Indian Shaman named Whitefeather. The story starts off with Arthur as a child, and as he grows, he learns that he is the one chosen to bring balance to a lawless town. He didn’t understand at first, but through experience, he realizes that he has to take his responsibilities head-on.
The story is good, but this book shines in the art department. I really enjoyed Garrie Gastonny’s illustrations, as they are very realistic. The landscapes look amazing, it feels like an oil painting. The coloring is thick and muddy, a very good fit for a Western setting. For the most part, the art works very well with the storyline. But, there are times where it gets a little confusing, both main characters have long hairs, so I couldn’t tell the difference between the two. I had to backtrack to make sure I was still on the right path. But, for the most part, the art flows very well from page to page. There are many instances in the book, where texts were not even necessary because the art is so detailed and well-composed.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. The story is good, but the art is where this book stands out, I’ve looked through this book repeatedly just for the artwork. Also, just like the end credits in movies, there are art pages of the characters towards the end of the book.
Grade: B
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