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No Holds Bard Vol. 1
When Queen Elizabeth I is kidnapped, only the dramatic duo of William Shakespeare and William Page in their superhero alter-egos, THE BARD and PAGE can save her! Written in iambic pentameter, No Holds Bard is a throwback comedy adventure 400 years in the making.
- GenresGraphic NovelsComics
148 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 10, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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February 17, 2024Shakespeare meets Batman in this hilarious comic book featuring blindingly gorgeous art I could stare at for hours, anachronistic bullshit and utter tomfoolery, and Shakespearean banter galore. Not to mention it’s all in iambic pentameter. NO HOLDS BARD is purely the goofiest thing I’ve read in ages (complementary).
CW: violence, death, kidnapping, drowning, blood & gore, suicide attempt (brief)
CW: violence, death, kidnapping, drowning, blood & gore, suicide attempt (brief)
February 12, 2022
Quite droll, this fair tale here which I beheld
Recommend I do to my fair follow'rs
Recommend I do to my fair follow'rs
August 18, 2022
I don't think I'm going to pick up any more comics that involve Shakespeare. I have yet to find one that I enjoy. I even found the Shakespeare scenes in the Sandman comics were some of the weaker parts of the story.
This story begins with an excruciating ye olde Shakespearean English adventure. Gladstone is no hack, he does a much better job writing in this style than most people that I've seen try and attempt it. I still find it clunky to read. It's like someone writing in the Noir Dialect of the early 20th century. Sure, it's challenging to write properly, and it's a twist to read something that's not in the modern vernacular, but do I want to? Does the story benefit from not keeping up to the moment with the evolution of language, gramar, and sentence structure? On the occasion of which I read this book, I thinketh not.
It kept me from properly getting into the story.
As with Gladstone's writing, Gabrielle Kari's art didn't excite me. She's very talented at a style which mostly doesn't appeal to me, though I did like her use of page layouts. This is two books in a row that I've read where the highlight was how the artist broke traditional page layouts. I hope the layout trend continues, but my enjoyment of the writing in the comics with great layouts improves.
If you like reading Shakespearean language, and enjoy silly quest books starring historical figures, this could be a four or five star book for you. I think it does a solid job at what it sets out to do, it's just not something I enjoy.
This story begins with an excruciating ye olde Shakespearean English adventure. Gladstone is no hack, he does a much better job writing in this style than most people that I've seen try and attempt it. I still find it clunky to read. It's like someone writing in the Noir Dialect of the early 20th century. Sure, it's challenging to write properly, and it's a twist to read something that's not in the modern vernacular, but do I want to? Does the story benefit from not keeping up to the moment with the evolution of language, gramar, and sentence structure? On the occasion of which I read this book, I thinketh not.
It kept me from properly getting into the story.
As with Gladstone's writing, Gabrielle Kari's art didn't excite me. She's very talented at a style which mostly doesn't appeal to me, though I did like her use of page layouts. This is two books in a row that I've read where the highlight was how the artist broke traditional page layouts. I hope the layout trend continues, but my enjoyment of the writing in the comics with great layouts improves.
If you like reading Shakespearean language, and enjoy silly quest books starring historical figures, this could be a four or five star book for you. I think it does a solid job at what it sets out to do, it's just not something I enjoy.
December 16, 2022
Is Shakespeare popular and will he always be? Was a nice trip that these folks tried to revive his tales under the guise of a period detective piece... They lose it toward the end but it never stops being fun, and parts of it even rhyme!
May 12, 2022
Behold! Shakespeare-ic crack! Do yourself a favor and give this a read!
May 1, 2023
Just a bunch of random ShakeSpeare nonsense loosely strung together. Fun art tho.
did-not-finish
September 9, 2023Got through one chapter. The story & art are cute, but unfortunately it’s such a pain in the ass to read, I don’t think I can do the rest.
February 27, 2024
William Shakespeare and his faithful page are leading double lives - while not writing plays or trying get his actors to put on the best plays, William is a crime-fighting masked vigilante known as The Bard, assisted by his helpful Page. The two confront evil-doers such as the crime-boss Falstaff, and the menacing Puck who is working for the vengeful Oberon. During their adventures, The Bard and Page get marooned on an island with a hungry wild beast who teaches Page magic and tricks The Bard into embracing it. They also find themselves in Verona in the middle of a civil war between two powerful houses.
Gladstone must be an epic Shakespeare fan, because there are so many references to plays and storylines masterfully woven into this comic. This comic is definitely for a Shakespeare fan, by a Shakespeare fan, so it's not going to have a super broad appeal to a general library audience. The entire story is written in iambic pentameter, which might throw off some readers, but Shakespeare enthusiasts will more likely appreciate the effort it took to craft the dialogue this way. Shakespeare himself also often rhymes, which sets him apart from a lot of the other characters. Aside from the appeal for Shakespeare fans, the adventure the two go on is really entertaining, and it reminds me of the feel of Disenchantment. Everything kind of turns out ok in the end, but the two often get into more trouble along the way.
Kari's illustration style is a lot more cartoony and less about being overly detailed. Characters are often reduced to the main emotion they're conveying, and they portray it with every ounce of their being. The color palette choices were really pleasing and balanced.
There is a bit of violence and a few characters draw blood on the page. Several characters imbibe alcohol, especially in the first chapter. Otherwise, the only thing elevating this book from younger readers is the prerequisite knowledge of Shakespeare's work and familiarity with the speech patterns and vocabulary, which generally comes later in high school.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Gladstone must be an epic Shakespeare fan, because there are so many references to plays and storylines masterfully woven into this comic. This comic is definitely for a Shakespeare fan, by a Shakespeare fan, so it's not going to have a super broad appeal to a general library audience. The entire story is written in iambic pentameter, which might throw off some readers, but Shakespeare enthusiasts will more likely appreciate the effort it took to craft the dialogue this way. Shakespeare himself also often rhymes, which sets him apart from a lot of the other characters. Aside from the appeal for Shakespeare fans, the adventure the two go on is really entertaining, and it reminds me of the feel of Disenchantment. Everything kind of turns out ok in the end, but the two often get into more trouble along the way.
Kari's illustration style is a lot more cartoony and less about being overly detailed. Characters are often reduced to the main emotion they're conveying, and they portray it with every ounce of their being. The color palette choices were really pleasing and balanced.
There is a bit of violence and a few characters draw blood on the page. Several characters imbibe alcohol, especially in the first chapter. Otherwise, the only thing elevating this book from younger readers is the prerequisite knowledge of Shakespeare's work and familiarity with the speech patterns and vocabulary, which generally comes later in high school.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews