3 out of 5

Double the size!  Double the… averageness.

Look – I think this is not a bad story at all.  McCrea gives it absolute artistic gusto, at his most absurd and creepy and solemn all in one issue (though Peter Snejbjerg’s skills feel somewhat wasted on the framing story), and Ennis’ rhyming narration does the same juggling act of humorous and ominous, with the core concept well effected and paced.  I just think, frankly, we have not yet been given much reason to care for or about Jason Blood and Etrigan.  Jason is wooden and boring, and Etrigan over-powered and, for all talks of his reigned in demonness, just sort of a snarky good guy.  Their position in this story is pointless, and weighs it down.  So what’s a pretty compelling (and ridiculous – look how McCrea draws these guys!) pirate ghost story gets wedged into Etrigan proving to Jason that Blood is actually a bad dude at heart.

Except, like, hardly.  The Blood we’re shown (in what amount’s to a flashback tale being rhymefully told by Etrigan) is maybe less whiny, but I wouldn’t say his overall efforts’ aren’t for a greater good…

So ignore that, and try to set aside Garth’s attempts to wrangle an ongoing plot out of disparate elements, and just enjoy an absurd and frequently funny supernatural tale o’ plunderin’.