BÊLIT & VALERIA #1 – Review

BÊLIT & VALERIA #1, from Ablaze Publishing on May 11th, 2022, begins the latest swashbuckling tale of adventure as the famed Pirate Queen from Shem, Bêlit, rises from a watery death to find out who was responsible for her resurrection.

The Details

• Written By: Max Bemis
• Art By: Rodney Buchemi
• Colors By: Dinei Ribeiro
• Letters By: Taylor Esposito
• Cover Art By: Marco Turini (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: May 11, 2022

Was It Good?

BÊLIT & VALERIA #1 takes the seminal writings of Robert E. Howard, adds the gusto of Xena: Warrior Princess, and polishes it up with a Rated-R patina for an adventure unlike anything you might expect from the Howard Estate.

Bemis is known for treating IP with a certain degree of irreverence, so it’s unclear what to expect when he was announced as the writer of this title. Irreverence doesn’t do this first issue credit. The main character, Bêlit, is full of life and energy with a personality that verges on the hyper-masculine. She’s not just a woman. She’s an ULTRA-Woman in that she knows what she wants, and she knows she’s strong enough to get it. In short, she’s a less stoic version of Conan. Some readers may find her personality offputting, but this reviewer found this version of the character to be bizarrely fascinating. Whether or not the novelty of her character holds up in future issues remains to be seen, but she makes an interesting debut.

The plot centers around Belit’s mysterious resurrection and her bulldozer-like mission to slay, pillage, and torture as many souls as possible until she finds out why she’s been brought back from paradise. Bemis makes it clear right away that Bêlit is not a nice person or gives the slightest thought of consideration for others unless it’s for mutual benefit. During her latest bounty, she’s tasked with capturing Valeria and returning her for an arranged marriage. The bounty is Howard’s more familiar character, Valeria. Through her, we see more of Bemis’s predictable irreverence via a loud, brash, swashbuckler in training who’s more interested in creative insults than anything else.

Bemis’s pacing is excellent, the dialog is rough but organic (this is a Rated-R comic and NSFW), and the story has a healthy mix of plot development and big action. That said, the overly-brash characters are a departure from Howard’s writing, so die-hard fans may see this issue as an acquired taste.

The artwork from Buchemi, Ribeiro, and Esposito is great. The action is big and loud, there’s a decent amount of gore, and the character acting elevates Bemis’s writing.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with Belit rising from the watery depths. She approaches a group of nearby mermaids sunning on the rocks and asks for the nearest pace to acquire clothes and sex.

Bêlit quickly acquires all of the above via a bard in the local pub, and he soon becomes a member of Bêlit’s hastily assembled crew of cutthroats and pirates. Bêlit’s mission – find out who resurrected her and robbed her of eternity in Paradise. Among the sacking and pillaging of villages, Belit and her crew accept a mission to capture a runaway bride, Valeria.

We meet Valeria stowed in the ship’s prison cell as Bêlit sails to the exchange point. The prize for Valeria’s return is the use of the merchant’s sorcerer. Unfortunately, the exchange doesn’t go smoothly. We conclude the issue with double-crosses, giant monsters, and flashing.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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