Bermuda

Bermuda #1-4

by John Layman, Nick Bradshaw (Illustrator)

An all-new tale of high adventure and pulpish mystery from John Layman, New York Times bestselling writer of Chew, and superstar artist Nick Bradshaw (Wolverine & the X-Men, Astonishing Spider-Man)!

There's a region in the Atlantic Ocean where planes disappear, ships are lost, and traveling souls go missing... never to be heard from again. And there's an island within this place, mysterious and uncharted, untouched by time and civilization, where all who are lost end up.

Bermuda lives here. She's a normal, everyday 16-year-old girl, who just so happens to live in an otherworldly dimension swarming with dinosaurs and pirates! It's made her scrappy, and a survivor, and it's the only life she's ever known... until today. Bermuda's discovered something on her island that will either open a doorway between her world and ours... or destroy them both!

Collects the four-issue series.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2022

About the author

John Steele Layman is an American comic book writer and letterer. Layman is most known for writing Chew, published by Image Comics.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was terrific. I love adventure comics like this. It's got Mysterious Island and pulp type vibes all over it. It's about an island in the Bermuda Triangle that boats, planes, etc. are transported to when they go missing. The island is full of pirates, dinosaurs and lizard people. All the crazy stuff you want to see in one of these types of stories. Bermuda is our main character, a teenage girl who grew up on the island, ala Tarzan.

Nick Bradshaw's art is banging. He really knocked it out of the park. Then Len O'Grady swooped with all these colors that pop off the page. The comic just looks amazing.

There is nothing groundbreaking in this comic. It just has everything I want in my comics. A fun story packed with action, adventure and fantastic art.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action-packed graphic novel full of adventure and excitement!

I love how the story just gets right into it while still having fascinating-world-building. I also really enjoyed the themes of friendship and found family. Don't forget all the different antagonists and monsters!

The art is so detailed, beautifully intricate and simply incredible. Wow! One of the authors actually says that the artist can draw anything, which made him want to include everything in the book, and I'm inclined to agree.

I seriously need more, like Bermuna's origin story and scenes set in the rest of the island. Kinda surprised by the low rating because I had so much fun reading this.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty typical adventure story about kids falling through a portal -- this one in the Bermuda Triangle -- to another dimension full of monsters, dinosaurs, pirates, etc. My touchstone for such stuff is the old Land of the Lost TV show that was on when I was a kid. Were I still that age, I'd probably like this more.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun adventure involving (or perhaps a cautionary tale about why you shouldn't mess with) the Bermuda Triangle. As per usual, folks start messing about and the next thing you know, there's an adventure involving disparate cultures and technologies, with evil forces looking to explode out into the world, and only a plucky band can stop them.

Layman's writing here is solid and his characters are really fun to read about and root for. Bradshaw's artwork really helps make this stand out, too.

A fun book all around. Not my usual wheelhouse, but I enjoyed it.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

To much world-building and to many factions in a short-run series result in an exposition-heavy slog. Throw in FAR to many action-poses prominently featuring the crotch of a teenaged? girl and you have a disappointing and disquieting experience.

[Alex Sarll]

John Layman's intro talks about how the seed for this project was working out what he wanted to see Nick Bradshaw draw, and the answer was 'everything', which pretty much sums up the appeal. Dinosaurs, beastmen, and pirates rampage through the fabulous island of Trangle which, as that name suggests, sits on the other side of the Bermuda Triangle. Bermuda also being the name of the Tarzan-esque guide to this realm who takes the poor lost rich boy in hand and reluctantly agrees to help save his sister from the sorcerous slaver lizardmen. She's your standard Tarzan type, except female, red-haired, and less sexualised than that archetype usually is. Which detail aside, this is not remotely a subtle comic. It's absolutely ripping off kitchen sink settings like Weirdworld or Land Of The Lost, but Bradshaw does draw it all so well that I didn't mind in the least – though equal praise is due to Len O'Grady's incredibly rich and unabashed colours. I'll have forgotten the story by the end of the week, but I wish more comics looked quite this alive.

(Netgalley ARC)

[Highland G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, great characters, fun short stories for each issue. Only downside really was it could have done with being a bit less formulaic, you can tell it’s written by the creator of chew by the fact each issue follows a very strict copy paste formula.
Does this ruin the book, hell no. But does it take you out if the flow when reading as a trade, unfortunately yes.


Edit:
Some have mentioned the stretched crotch shots of Bermuda in a lot of the fight scenes but tbh it wasn’t sexy or sexual at all, in fact I found myself often wondering if in fact the main character was supposed to be a boy or at least androgynous due the the way they were portrayed. I thought some of the poses were exaggerated and not exactly atomically correct but that’s about all.

[Centauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mythos of the Bermuda Triangle has intrigued folks for decades, and this tale provides one interesting inside look.

The island of Trangle has its dangers but they don't phase the teen, Bermuda, in the slightest. She's a survivalist, adventurer, and fighter; she gave me Peter Pan & Goku vibes, but with the wit and intelligence of Ripley. She's always ready for a good fight, but knows when its time to run or hide. Bobby and Andi getting trapped there was an annoyance to the primary protagonist, so she's not a hero; more an antihero; Bermuda will do the (ultimately heroic) right thing when the opportunity is forced upon her.
The secondary protagonists were okay. Heroes need people to save.
Sadly, there's no real character development, and there's more questions than answers regarding all the other humans on the island. Do they age slower? How are there so many? Are the mer-people the indigenious beings? Or is it the Ver? Both? Perhaps, someone else? This 4 comic arc is a nice introduction to this world/universe: a fun ride with incredible art that makes me want to read more story about all the characters involved.

[Connor Sheffield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot:

Robert ‘Bobby’ Randolph’s life is about to change, when his father’s private jet crashes somewhere in within the Bermuda Triangle, with Robert himself on board. After washing up on a beach, Robert meets a strange young woman, along with some terrifying fish-men, who kidnap Robert’s sister for slave trade, but thanks to the aid of the young woman, who just so happens to be named Bermuda also, Robert is able to escape on the back of a large reptile.

However, Robert refuses to let his seven year old sister remain a slave to those terrifying Mer creatures, but finding someone to help on the island of Trangle, often only leads to more trouble, as the island is full of swashbuckling pirates, strange creatures, and magic. This is an island out of time, with traits that seem like something out of a fantasy book.

Meanwhile in the outside world, it seems like someone is trying to open a doorway to the mysterious island, and Robert’s father wants to get involved, in order to save his children. When the Mer creatures discover this plan through their blood magic, they vow to help the humans open the doorway between worlds, but they aren’t waiting for a friendly encounter, they’re ready to attack!

Will Robert be able to survive the harsh new world he has been tossed into? Will he be able to save his sister? And will the doorway between the two worlds ever be opened?

Story:

John Layman has created a story that is as exciting as it is intense, to say the least. Full of action packed sequences on an island shrouded in mystery, with all sorts of fantasy elements that leaves you wanting to explore the whole island. There is a great lore woven into the history of the island, some of which we get to read about, but I assume much of it is left unexplored…for now, at least in this first arc.

The young teenage boy, Bobby isn’t annoying as some young characters can often be in books, which is always a good thing, and the title character Bermuda is a badass! She has a lot of mystery around her, almost as much as the island does, if not more, so the reader is left with a lot of questions that will hopefully be answered in future story arcs.

The crossover between the two worlds adds a lot of variety to the types of characters that can be introduced into this world. In the first arc alone, we’ve had pirates, navy officers, and humans that arrive on a plane, but those are just the one’s who stumbled across the island. The exciting part is the natural beings of the island such as the Ver, the various creatures of unnatural sizes such as the Lizards and Spiders, and the Mer. It seems like this island is not just out of sight with the rest of the world, but out of time also, meaning you could bring in more prehistoric creatures that have thrived here, and also various other historic human civilizations such as Vikings (all of which are mentioned on the Map at the end of this book) so there are plenty more stories to come out of this island yet, for both the writer, artists and readers to explore!

Art:

Speaking of art, Nick Bradshaw’s art is incredible, as it really brings to life the unique creatures and beings of this island of Trangle. Together with Len O’Grady’s colours, the art in this book is bright, beautiful and quite frankly some of the best art I’ve seen in a book for a while, especially when it comes to the designs of characters.

With so many races, species and time periods merged into a singular story, the designs for the characters of this book are certainly unique without being unrecognizable. The pirates, for example, look as you’d expect pirates to look from their golden age of piracy, when there were more hook hands and peg legs, with large bushy beards and bad teeth, but the pirates in this story also have their own unique qualities that make them stand out from other books. The page in which we see the Pirate Tavern, is filled with all sorts of fun and unique designs that make each individual character in that tavern unique from any other on the page which just goes to show the level of detail that Bradshaw has put into this book.

The smooth digital colouring makes this book a delight to look at with it’s bright, vivid colours making each panel and page easy on the eyes, bringing to life the wonderous fantasy of the island, be it the deep greens of the jungle, the wooden browns of pirate taverns and their various techni-colour clothing. or the sea green colours of the Mers that give them their terrifying visage some real depth (pun intended).

Collected Edition:

Those of you who have read Bermuda already during it’s single issue releases should be aware that the collected edition TPB has lots of extras to offer. Between pages 95-128, there are LOADS of extras including variant covers, character designs, 2 short stories, page layouts and even a map! What more could you possibly want from a book that offers this much content!

Conclusion:

If you love fantasy mixed with the modern world, then this is a story for you. It has myster, magic and weird creatures with unique and awesome designs, so grab a copy and get reading. It’s a fantastical story of adventure and friendship that has plenty of action to keep the reader entertained from cover to cover.

This book will certainly be a hit with comic book fans who love action, adventure and fantasy.

Bermuda (TPB Edition) is available from the 1st of February 2022!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Individual issue reviews: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4

Total review score: 2.125

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, neat little story elevated by some truly stunning art. Complicated and detailed panels throughout. Expect to spend significant time rooting through each image. Beautiful.

[Dan]

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher IDW Publishing for a advanced copy of this all-ages graphic novel adventure.

The graphic novel Bermuda written by John Layman, and beautifully illustrated by Nick Bradshaw is the first four issues of a hopefully continueingr advernture for readers of all ages. Similar in style to James Robsinson's Leave it to Chance, which also featured a scrappy young lady fighting bad things, this also has a scrappy young woman fighting for survival in a mysterious island loaded with a bizarre assortment of humans and creatures.

Bermuda starts with a plane crash in a weird storm on an uncharted island, stranding a brother and sister, the children of a very rich technology leader. Within moments of reptile creatures kidnap Bobby Randolph's sister, and he only escapes the same fate due to the interference of Bermuda, a girl about Bobby's age, but with a knife and fighting skills that he does not. Fleeing on a pair of lizards, Bermuda tries to explain life on the island to young Bobby, whose desire to safe his sisters only cause troubles with other denizens on the island. Grudgingly Bermuda agress to help Bobby, and in helping reunite the siblings, might save the world.

The book is well written with a you can't turn the pages fast enough, this is fun kind of story. Nothing is heavy, the violence is straight PG, though Bermuda has Disney parents, dead offstage possibly horrible. There is a lot of potential for more stories, in case pirates, lizard people, U. S. Navy submariners aren't enough. There is a strong supporting cast, with backstories that are explained, but again can be used for further stories. The art is bright, clean and always moving, even in th quiet scenes you just have a feeling that things are happening, and the eye dances around the panel.

A great all-ages title, especially for kids who like adventure stories. Bermuda is fun, with beautful art, which is showcased on extra pages at the end with how the art was made. Lots of fun for young readers or older readers like myself, who just want to lose themselves in a story and get away from today. I am excited to read more.

[Mjhancock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bobby and Andi survive a plane crash only to crash land on a strange island. Andi is taken by fish slavers, but Bobby is rescued by the island's own scrappy freelancer, the 16 year old Bermuda. Together, they face pirates, dinosaurs, fish people and more to rescue Andi and stop a potentially planet-ending invasion.

This is a story that's good, but never quite reaches the level of great. I like the island Layman and Bradshaw set up; I could see running a tabletop campaign in the environment and factions they've devised. But the book falls short on the character front, and on the Big Ideas front. It's a fun environment, but the concepts behind the peoples and characters are a bit "been there, seen that." I get what Bobby's here to do--he's the POV character, the reader surrogate who, like the reader, has been tossed into a strange world. But he's still fairly bland. Bermuda herself is better, but also doesn't seem to have a lot to her.

The art, however, is really, really good. Bradshaw does great work on action scenes, monsters, jungle scapes. And I really like the design of Bermuda herself. Given the history of comics at large, it would have been really easy (if gross) to do a highly sexualized female lead. Bermuda is not that--she's visually kinetic and powerful without being a cliche. She's fun to watch kick butt, which is 100% necessary in an adventure comic. And that's maybe the most interesting part of the story: its lineage includes the adventure pulps, but expressed in new, modern ways. (Though I suppose whether these are *better* ways is up for debate--the fish people do have some overlap with some of the old Lovecraftian fish people stereotypes.)

If these ideas were explored a little more openly, or if the characters were a little stronger, than I'd like the comic better. As it is, though, it's a set of issues that are entertaining, if not remarkable--much like the pulp stories it descends from.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sounds like, if you'd ever come across the Bermuda Triangle before now, it may well have been a mispronunciation. Because when you go through one of the weird inter-dimensional doors in that part of the world, where you fetch up is Trangle. And there are plenty of things there to take the eyes out the middle of your face, too – giant mer-men creatures enslaving human survivors is just the start. But you might come across a feisty redheaded lass called Bermuda, and she and her mahoosive iguana thing might just manage to save your life. I mean, if you enter the twilight zone here she will be a more practical bet than your billionaire father back on the side of us mundies.

This is not a book to be confused for one with subtlety – it's sheer old-school entertainment. "Lost World"-sized critters, a female Turok-type lizard-whisperer, pirates, monkey pirates, and more mer-things than you can shake a quantum dooflidonk at. If you think this is nuanced, the promotional snippets of story are called "Bermuda Shorts". This, then, is for people who think that title on the genius side, and can revel in high-octane, all-ages-friendly action without needing to linger. The visual craft has to be noted, for cramming in no end of detail lesser books would not have bothered with, and although it takes us some great time before we really get a good look at all the iguana, mer- and other things in this world, the busyness of the page is only really on a par with the pell-mell action the plot provides. This is a success, as long as you leave your brains at the door somewhat.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful, fun, but not much depth. Bermuda is a teenage girl living on the island where everything that goes missing in the Bermuda Triangle eventually winds up--pirates (worse, monkey pirates), dinosaurs, mer-people ("mers"), giant spiders, submarine crews, etc. When another teen boy and girl crash-land on the island, she helps the boy when his sister is kidnapped by the mers, who are practitioners of dark magic and want to find a way to open the portal that brings people to the island so they can come to the real world and take over. And that's really about it. The art is very good and very colorful.

[Drew Woodworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is the real star as Bradshaw fills every inch of every page with beautifully rendered pop art. The story is a fine, fun romp, as well, but, at the end of the day, it’s just an excuse for Bradshaw to draw pirates, lizard men, giant spiders, and anything else Layman can conceivably throw into the story. The main character, Bermuda, is a fun female lead, but how she continues to throw men and beasts twice her size through windows and such is never really explained. But, then again, these probably aren’t questions you should be asking.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once past the absurdity of a sixteen year old non-mutant, uneducated, unpretentious, nonchalant, frigid teen girl with no specified super powers as being the archetypal super being protagonist, and despite the excessively overdone illustrations then comparatively speaking this is really pretty good. And of course there is the added bonus of all the male characters, regardless of age or origin, coming off as being as dumb as the proverbial sack of nails. Plus it is not exactly stand-alone. But hey this is fantasy fiction.

[Ben]

Good art, fun but childish writing

In the opening, the author talks about how he was excited about the artist and wanted him to draw everything. It shows, as there is a lack of necessary focus for the story to feel impactful. Everything just feels like a Saturday morning cartoon - bright and fun but not good for much except selling toys.

[Maiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

El triángulo de las Bermudas es conocido por las múltiples desapariciones que se producen en este. John Layman y Nick Bradshaw nos ofrecen en este título un cómic que destila aventuras por sus poros con una protagonista de lo más intrépido en un entorno donde se dan cita dinosaurios, piratas, aliens y ciencia extraña.
Me lo he pasado muy bien con su lectura.

[Niche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost world island adventure

This was pretty good. The story was okay. It's your "lost world" scenario where the Bermuda Triangle is a gateway to an island of giant lizards and spiders, rodent and fish people, pirates, and WWII soldiers. The art was nice and I always get excited having male and female leads without romance.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty typical teenaged portal fantasy. It doesn't offer anything new, but if you're in the mood for a jungle adventure featuring a female Tarzan crossed with Conan the Barbarian, this is for you. The story is just too rushed to properly execute on several prominent tropes. However, the artwork is fantastic and brings lots of visual appeal.

[Nicole Geub · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one has it all. Action, pirates, giant spiders, killer mer-people and a treasure map on the back to keep track. Ends up being a rescue tale ending in friendship. If you like adventure and chaos, check this one out.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This book has it all — adventure, pirates, and giant lizards at the Bermuda Triangle. Great for any adventure lover.

[Rob Schamberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun with utterly gorgeous art!

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is amazing. I don't know why but this is unique to what I've seen in my limited comic reading. The story is fun, nothing new or amazing but it works.

[David Sanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cómo disfrutar del dibujo de Arthur Adams sin Arthur Adams. Y con una historia muy interesante que se puede desarrollar mucho más.

[Stephen Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story

Very wholesome story overall, great classic "Land of the Lost" meets "Treasure Island" vibes, I really enjoyed reading it and I hope there is a sequel in the future.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

totally fun! I hope there will be more!

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been interested in the Bermuda Triangle ever since I was a kid growing up in South Florida. It was fun and thoughtful. I liked seeing how the different elements came together. Fun characters. Interesting creatures. Nothing ground-breaking, but definitely fun.

[Bea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim because of the beautiful colors and high hopes for the art. In truth that was all that this book brought to the table for me. The characters lacked depth and development as did all of the relationships between characters. Though the stakes were high I felt no tension within myself or the characters. Bermuda, the 16 year old co-lead, was sexualized through the art in every fight scene, of which there were many. Gross. I’m very disappointed by this read.