''Anne Bonnie'' is an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

created, written, and illustrated by Tim Yates. The first issue was published by

Blue Juice Comics Blue Juice Comics is an American publisher of comic books, picture books, and prose. The company was founded as the publishing division of Blue Juice Films, Inc in 2012. Most of its publications were initially conceived as film or animation ideas. ...

on March 19, 2014. Additional issues have been published on an irregular schedule. In December 2015, the first six issues were collected into a

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

. The story is a fantasy adventure about Ariana, a young girl who steals a haunted ship to pursue her dream of being a pirate.

Publication history

Tim Yates was a nursing student before switching career paths and enrolling at

The Kubert School The Kubert School, formerly the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art and Joe Kubert School, is a private, for-profit technical school focused on cartooning and located in Dover, New Jersey. It teaches the principles of sequential art and ...

, where he befriended classmate Gavin Smith. When Smith was hired to illustrate ''

The Accelerators The Accelerators were an American rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. They were formed in 1982 by singer/guitarist Gerald Duncan and released five albums. Writer and critic Peter Eichenberger described the band as "one of the ...

'' for

in 2011, he brought Yates along as his

colorist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...

. While promoting ''The Accelerators'' at the 2012

New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a f ...

, Yates was sketching characters and concepts for ''Anne Bonnie'', a pirate adventure inspired by ''

Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...

'' and ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

''. He was planning to pitch it to Blue Juice publisher Thomas Mumme as a new series, but Mumme approached Yates first to ask for a proposal.Means-Shannon, Hannah (January 23, 2014),
From Con Sketch To Full Comic – Tim Yates Launches Pirate Adventure Anne Bonnie
, Bleeding Cool. Retrieved April 15, 2017 Although ''Anne Bonnie'' is the first time Yates wrote or drew a comic, most of his previous story ideas had starred a female protagonist. When he began developing a pirate concept, including the historical

Anne Bonny Anne Bonny (8 March 1697 – disappeared April 1721), sometimes Anne Bonney, was an Irish pirate operating in the Caribbean, and one of the few female pirates in recorded history. What little that is known of her life comes largely from Capta ...

was a "no-brainer" for him. He chose to use a fantasy setting to give himself more freedom in his storytelling. When writing scripts for the story, Yates uses a loose scripting style that allows him to make changes as he's creating the artwork. He draws inspiration from

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

and cartoons in his open and colorful line art, which contrasts with more common styles that utilize solid blacks. Once the art is finished, he refines the dialogue to remove redundant exposition and enhance humor. The first issue of ''Anne Bonnie'' was released to comic specialty stores through

Diamond Comics Distribution Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. They transport comic books and graphic novels, as well as other pop ...

Anne Bonnie #1
, Previews World. Retrieved April 15, 2017 and digitally through

Comixology Iconology Inc., d/b/a ComiXology (styled comiXology), is a cloud-based digital distribution platform for comics owned by Amazon, with over 200 million comic downloads . It offers a selection of more than 100,000 comic books, graphic novels, and ...

on March 19, 2014. Diamond sold out of the approximately 3,500

print run Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. The number of copies of a non-periodical publication (such as a book) are usually called print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulat ...

within a week. It was the 352nd best selling single issue of the month.Bradley, Drew (February 24, 2015),
Small Press Spotlight: Anne Bonnie
, Multiversity Comics. Retrieved April 15, 2017 A second issue with a print run of about 1,800 copies was released in June, followed by a third issue in October. After a hiatus, the series returned for three more issues released on a quarterly schedule beginning in June 2015. These six issues were collected into a single volume with the subtitle ''The Journey Begins'' in December 2015. A seventh issue was scheduled for July 2017, but release was delayed when Blue Juice bought the rights to the project from Yates. Issues seven through nine were released monthly beginning October 2018. Because of the transfer of rights, the issues were published without creator credits.

Plot

Ariana is an orphan who lives under the care of Lord Firestorm. He tries to teach her proper etiquette and manners, but she is more interested in the legend of Anne Bonnie, the Pirate Queen, and dreams of having her own adventures. As a teenager, she discovers the Crimson Dawn, an old pirate ship, beneath Lord Firestorm's castle and steals it. Because the ship is haunted, she is able to sail it by herself. In search of adventures, she quickly makes new friends and enemies.

Reception

Noting that an early print run of the first issue sold out at

comic conventions A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events hosted at co ...

Bleeding Cool Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...

editor Hannah Means-Shannon called ''Anne Bonnie'' a "major success". A team of reviewers for Unwinnable appreciated the creative art design, but believed the story had pacing problems.Bannen, Brian; Gonzales, Ian; Scharr, Jill (March 26, 2014),
Last Week's Comics 3/26/14
, Unwinnable. Retrieved April 15, 2017

References

{{reflist 2014 comics debuts American comics titles Comics about orphans Comics about women Cultural depictions of Anne Bonny Fantasy comics Pirate comics