S.I.R. - Trade Paperback Review
- Luke Henderson
- May 7
- 4 min read
Romance is often comfort food. The reader knows what to expect and allows their brain to turn off, enjoying the ride as the characters fall in love. However, sometimes a romance can surprise you even while following a formula, and that’s exactly what happened when I read S.I.R.
Having lost her parents at 16 and the love of her life, Nico, Avery Sakai vowed to never give up on those she loves. Her convictions push her to sell the family bike shop so she can attend the private Bridleham Academy and win back her paramour’s heart, but the journey will be much harder than she thinks.
Following Nico under the cover of night, Avery discovers the school’s underground motorcycle jousting league, penned as the Seismic Ironclash Roulette or S.I.R. Nico, under the moniker Aries, has won 97 matches straight, making her an object of jealousy among the student body elite. What follows is a story of corruption, power, and fighting against oppressive forces.
One of those previously mentioned surprises was the complicated nature of Avery and Nico’s relationship and arc. It’s a second-chance romance, but without the usual trimmings, and that’s largely because they are fleshed out well. Hound’s characterization of these two is phenomenal; they feel like real people with complicated, yet intertwined histories. All the pain and triumph that Nico and Avery experience are felt that much more because the reader feels an intimate connection with them.
But even that’s just scratching the surface.
Hound’s character designs and dialogue are pure poetry. From Nico’s rose tattoo sleeve to the knight’s unique armors, everything is steeped with meaning and gives an even deeper look into each character’s inner psyche. The decision to mix in different kinds of narration (such as text messages and essay excerpts) with the dialogue creatively adds to this, making the reader’s knowledge of Avery and Nico multifaceted. Hound is, without a doubt, a talented character writer, and in S.I.R., this shines.
But with a title that abbreviates Seismic Ironclash Roulette, there’s got to be a lot of action in this character-driven story, right?
Yes, there’s heaps of it. Each thrilling moment is spectacularly executed by every part of the art. Any fan of Hound could tell you she is the queen of the unconventional panel shape; Capes, wings, wolf heads… all utilized. It’s visually stunning and makes these plot beats feel seamless.
The motorcycle fighting goodness wouldn’t be nearly as intense without Eleonora Bruni’s coloring. The contrasts are sharp, the palettes pop, and it makes a spear being shoved toward the reader feel larger than life. More impressive is their work during the quiet moments. These have gorgeous painted textures with color blending into each other, and perfectly emulate the devastation and triumph of this story. Stars are a constant metaphor and motif for both emotions, and Bruni ensured they were always gorgeous.
The lettering really brings the energy. Carey isn’t afraid to have the dialogue in different shapes or bursting through the balloons. Everything, even a simple sigh, has so much personality. Her use of color for the knight’s stage names and the announcement for the start of matches gives a little extra drama to the action.
The only small downside to this S.I.R. stems from its premise. Motorcycles topped with spear-wielding warriors take up a ton of space in most camera angles. There wasn’t a lot of room for things that could have added to the action, like big, bombastic sound effects. The knights’ campy steeds and regalia, while fabulous, also didn’t leave much room for creative coloring in the backgrounds, but as a whole, these were minor and didn’t detract too much from everything else.
S.I.R. is another notch in the belt of an already promising cartoonist. Hound and gang serve up a slice of heartbreaking, rip-roaring story with fantastic comics craft on top. I insist every reader get their hands on it immediately.
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
If you like the writing:
Commander Rao by Fell Hound & LetterSquids
And We Love You by Fell Hound & Lucas Gattoni
Loved & Lost: 9 Stories About Imperfect Romance edited by Tyler & Wendy Chin-Tanner
If you like the art:
Radiant Black by Kyle Higgins & Marcelo Costa
The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A.
Sharp Wit and the Company of Women edited by Michele Abounder & Brent Fisher
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Fell Hound (@FellHound.Bsky.Social) – Writer/Artist
Hound has firmly established herself as a talented cartoonist, garnering a Sequential Magazine Award and Ringo nomination.
Her art has graced numerous indie and direct market covers.
She is a lover of all things Gundam, especially The Witch from Mercury.
Eleonora Bruni (@EleHBruni.Bsky.Social) - Colorist
Bruni is a regular colorist for BOOM! Studios bringing to life comics for the Ben10, Avant-Gardes, and Buffy series as well as Steven Universe.
She is also a cartoonist and publishes her own webcomics.
Bruni hails from Italy.
Becca Carey (@BeccaSee.Bsky.Social) - Letterer
An accomplished letterer, Carey has slapped balloons and words on books by DC, BOOM! Studios, Vault, Image, Mad Cave Studios, and Dynamite.
She won the Golden Issue Award for Best Letterer for her work on the Absolute Superman series.
HOW DO I BUY IT?
The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.
All S.I.R. characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright of BOOM! Studios or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
