I still love Polly, but this volume is not as coherent as the first. There are more characters introduced, but they're all introduced extremely quickly and you don't get much time to get used to them. The art is less clear - there's a lot of variation in line, from huge black shadows to fine grey lines, and while that makes for some striking pages, it can also make it really hard to tell what's going on. And what's going on seems to be too much for one book: I'd have made it two, I think. ( )

A long time waiting for the second installment of Ted Naifeh’s Polly and the Pirates, and doesn’t disappoint. A rollicking adventure for young Polly is a bit older and has to take up her mother’s legacy once more to rescue the lovable Emperor Norton and foil a foreign plot. I did find it helpful to reread the first book, though not necessary, mostly to remember some of the characters. Robbi Rodriguez’s drawings are fluid and expressive and the world is a bit more Steampunk, which compliment the story and characters well. Here’s hoping for another adventure. ( )