No Saints Nor Poets #1 & #2
Iolanda Zanfardino – creator and writer
Elisa Romboli and Martina Belli – artists
Ilaria Chiocca – color artist
Elena Barbiere – English translation
Tightrope Press
Recently I had the pleasure of reading issues #1 and #2 of No Saints Nor Poets by writer Iolanda Zanfardino, artists Elisa Romboli and Martina Belli whose line art is colored by Ilaria Chiocca. Set in the fantasy world of the city of Serena, No Saints Nor Poets blends adventure and humor with elements of romance and sex. Three years have passed since the Great Flood changed life for the people of Serena. New challenges and opportunities follow in the disaster’s wake especially the promise of danger now that sea monsters lurk beneath the surface of the city’s once bustling and beautiful streets and squares. There have always been the haves and the have nots amongst the community, but the aristocrats, wealthy, and religious elites have separated themselves in the “Dry District” which lies behind a massive dam.
Enter the heroes of No Saints Nor Poets: Flynn Perfect and Pierre-Antoine DuBois. Yes, Perfect is Flynn’s last name and he’s quite eager to tell you why the name fits him because Flynn is a flirty, incorrigible, risk taking, and loveable scamp. On the other hand, Pierre is reserved, forthright, compassionate, and erudite. Pierre enjoys cooking even though resources are challenging. And Flynn is a bit of a thief too but in the Robin Hood sort of way. Well, mostly…often…sometimes? Flynn and Pierre’s meet cute happened because of shady dealings on Flynn’s part right outside Pierre’s church. Yes, Pierre is a former priest of the church of Aestus. Then Father Pierre came to Flynn’s rescue and Flynn came to Pierre’s rescue at a time of personal crisis in the wake of the Great Flood. They’ve been close friends and business partners ever since. They’re not lovers…yet.
The friends but not yet lovers dynamic makes for some absolutely delicious romantic and sexual tension between Flynn and Pierre. Zanfardino’s frisky dialog sparkles as Flynn and Pierre banter throughout their scenes. Artists Elisa Romboli and Martina Belli with their expressive line work are the perfect complements to bring these two sexy characters to four color life! Romboli and Belli are equally adept at visualizing the magically real town of Serena with all its people, quirks, and culture. Ilaria Chiocca’s skill and talent is clearly evident in the vibrant and moody color palettes rendered throughout both issues. The overall aesthetic but especially the motorized gondolas, use of bird nose masks a la the Black Death, and architecture makes me think of a “steam punk Venice.” Also many thanks to Elena Barbiere for translating Zanfardino’s script from Italian to English.
In short, No Saints Nor Poets is the perfect combination of fun, flirty, sexy, adventure, heart, and soul!
No Saints Nor Poets is a six part series which the creators are crowdfunding through Kickstarter. The campaign to publish issue #3 recently launched. There is a reward tier to bundle issues #1 – #3 so have no fear of being left behind if you’re intrigued with my review of Flynn’s and Pierre’s adventures. I hope you’ll check it out!
Find the No Saints Nor Poets Kickstarter project here! The deadline is 11:00 am (Eastern) on June 18th!