King Arthur as a cowboy? One of the first releases of the new Radical Publishing takes the Arthurian legend and plops it in the middle of the Old West in this five-issue mini-series retelling of the classic tale. So how does it work? Check out the Full Diagnosis to find out!
Caliber: First Canon of Justice #1 (of 5)
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Caliber: First Canon of Justice is one of the first releases from the new Radical Comics. The five-issue mini-series by Sam Sarkar retells the Arthurian legend of the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin, Camelot, and Excalibur, in the Old West.
Here Merlin is a Native American shaman named Whitefeather, Arthur is the son of an Army Captain, and Gwen is a frontier woman and friend of the family. Even Morgan le Fay has a small cameo in the first issue.
As a longtime fan of the Arthur legend I was curious, and for the price of only $1.00 it was too tempting to pass up. The issue has style and a beautiful painted look done digitally by Garrie Gastonny and the Imaginary Friends Studios. The stylish look of this first issue is one of its strengths.
As for the story, well… The first time I read the issue I was confused and disappointed. However Caliber is one of those comics that gets better on re-reading the issue. Although I still think there’s a little too much going on here: we get a introduction to several characters, a massacre, the visions of Whitefeather, the history of the gun, a look at the Army officers various feelings toward the Indians, evil plots, and more. All mixed together the first issue comes off a bit unfocused and unsure of the exact tale it wants to tell.
Issue #1 is a bit of a mixed-bag, but for patient readers, and fans of King Arthur, for only $1 you are getting your money’s worth. Although I’m not sold yet, the art and the promise of a cowboy version of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table will most likely bring me back for issue #2.