Arcana Royale #1: No There There

Hudson Tremain is a gambler. But she doesn’t just sit at poker tables in casinos. In Arcana Royale #1 she sits at a table with supernatural beings, playing a game “against the whims of fate.” Hudson plays fast and loose, her big ego constantly on display and in danger of landing her in trouble both at the table and with her opponents.

Bunn lays down what should be an intriguing foundation in Arcana Royale #1. On first blush, a high stakes card game for people’s lives or fates should be compelling. Detracting from that potential, though, is a glaring lack of details. For instance, there is an “or” between lives and fates in the earlier sentence because what the stakes are is not at all clear. What is Hudson playing for? Does it affect her? Does it affect others? The issue’s first and last scenes center on this game and other players in it, but Bunn’s failure to explain anything about it undermines its apparent role as a centerpiece to the series. Indeed, the series’ solicitation offers more details than anything in this first issue.

Main character Hudson is an even bigger and more important problem in Arcana Royale #1. Like the gambling concept, she is intriguing at first blush. Her strong attitude seems to cover up apprehension or anxiety. But after the opening pages, Hudson’s attitude largely wins out and she becomes one dimensional. She exhibits no concern for the apparent high stakes of the game she’s involved in. This is further compounded because, as noted, the game and its stakes are ill-defined in the issue. Why is Hudson even in this game, and what does she get out of it?

The narrative’s most successful aspect is its world building, specifically the game and its setting. Whether fully devised and described by Camp or in closer partnership with Zamudio, these visuals prove the most compelling. The cards appear to be related to or inspired by Tarot or some other such form of divination. The game itself appears reminiscent of Texas Hold ‘Em. Both sequences set around Hudson playing the game present a poker tournament atmosphere with action taking place at multiple tables at once. Despite Arcana Royale #1’s lack of definition of what any of this means or how it works, these visual touchstones will speak to many readers and at least convey a loose idea about what is going on here.

Zamudio’s art in a general sense helps uplift the troubled narrative. What little nuance Hudson has is conveyed entirely by visuals, as neither her dialogue nor her internal monologue speak to any real complexity. The apprehension and anxiety spoken of earlier is apparent in a sequence of panels on a page following a conversation where she acted thoroughly unconcerned in the face of a warning from a fellow player.

Hudson tosses her cigarette away in the first panel. The following one focuses on her suitcase of winnings as it drops to a puddle on the ground. The next visual in the sequence is Hudson leaning against a wall, her eyes on the tossed away cigarette. And finally, in close-up in one panel, Hudson’s hand shakes. This single page is the only moment in Arcana Royale #1 that suggests Hudson has any depth whatsoever.

More critical is how Zamudio handles two flashbacks in the issue. There is nothing explicit to establish that the two flashbacks are indeed flashbacks. There are some contextual clues, but the first flashback isn’t apparent until a page and a half into it. Zamudio does provide a visual clue, though. Panels taking place in the flashbacks feature a crosshatch shading at their edges. It is subtle, easily missed on first reading. But readers not entirely certain of the timeline of events in Arcana Royale #1 will find this helpful.

Crabtree’s color scheme is vivid, even in darker settings. It combines well with Zamudio’s overall style for characters which uses sharper angles on bodies and facial features and stark black shading rather than gradual transitions.

Reed’s color choice for the issue’s caption boxes works particularly well. The pink/peach color pops off the page. The contrast is extreme in most cases, sort of in-your-face in the same way that Hudson is. It’s appropriate, then, that her internal monologue stands out as much as it does.