The Unsinkable Walker Bean (2010) – Review

⚓ Cursed Skulls, Sea Witches, and the Call of Pirate Adventure


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📖 Non-Spoiler Rundown

The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier is a standalone graphic novel that plunges you into a pirate adventure with a cursed skull, sea witches, and a boy who’s more inventor than fighter.

Walker Bean is a timid kid who’d rather tinker with gadgets than swing a sword. But when his grandfather falls ill after coming into contact with a cursed skull belonging to monstrous Merwitches, Walker takes it upon himself to return the skull to the sea. What follows is a rollicking adventure across pirate ships, stormy seas, and eerie caves — a journey that not only entertained me as a kid, but also sparked my lifelong interest in pirates and grand adventure storytelling.

Just as Tintin led me into archaeology and Indiana Jones solidified it, Walker Bean is one of the stepping stones that pulled me toward loving pirate lore, ocean legends, and swashbuckling quests.


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👥 Character Rundown

Walker Bean – Our hero. Small, awkward, and clever, Walker isn’t the swashbuckling type. His strength is his brain, his courage grows as the story unfolds, and his heart is what makes him a true adventurer.

Walker’s Grandfather – The spark of the adventure. His illness from the cursed skull drives Walker to risk everything to save him.

Gen & Shiv – Allies and friends who stand beside Walker. They give him camaraderie and balance his cautious nature with action.

Lieutenant Hatch – A pirate-like sailor who complicates Walker’s journey with selfish motives and shifting allegiances.

The Skull Pirates – Villains who want the skull for its power. Dangerous, greedy, and the human threat to Walker’s quest.

The Merwitches – The terrifying guardians of the cursed skull. Grotesque sea hags with glowing eyes and monstrous grins. They’re the supernatural reminder of how dangerous the ocean can be.



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🎨 Art Style & Design

Aaron Renier’s art is scratchy, detailed, and overflowing with energy. Panels are dense and busy, full of frantic lines and layers of action. It’s the kind of art that makes the sea feel alive: every wave looks like it’s crashing out of the page, every pirate ship creaks with character, every shadow hides danger.

The colors lean dark and moody at sea, lighter in moments of safety. The witches are illustrated with grotesque features, exaggerated eyes and teeth, making them both frightening and unforgettable.


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🌊 Locations – Feel Like You’re There

One of the highlights of Walker Bean is the sense of place. Renier’s settings make you feel like you’re living the pirate adventure:

The Open Sea – Vast, restless, and dangerous. You can practically hear the wind whipping through the sails and smell the salt in the air. Storm scenes tilt the panels, making you feel like you’re rocking with the ship.

Pirate Ships – Creaking decks full of ropes, cannons, and weathered wood. The ships themselves feel like characters, packed with life and danger.

The Sea Caves – Dark, dripping, claustrophobic. The cursed skull’s resting place, guarded by witches. You can almost feel the damp chill seeping through the pages.

The Merwitches’ Domain – Alien and terrifying, lit by the cursed glow of the skull. These scenes feel wrong in the best way — the ocean itself seems alive and hostile.



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✅ Pros

A unique mix of pirate swashbuckling and supernatural folklore.

Grotesque, unforgettable sea witches (Merwitches).

Locations are so vivid they feel alive.

Walker is a relatable underdog hero.

Scratchy, chaotic art style perfectly matches the story’s energy.


❌ Cons

The art style, while brilliant, can feel overwhelming and “too busy” for some readers.

The pacing occasionally jumps in ways that feel rushed — like panels spilling forward too quickly.



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💭 Final Thoughts

The Unsinkable Walker Bean is more than just a children’s graphic novel. It’s a full pirate adventure dripping with saltwater, curses, and grotesque sea creatures. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to grab a ship, chase a legend, and maybe risk meeting a witch in the depths.

For me, it didn’t just entertain — it helped shape my interest in pirates and grand adventure tales. Just as Tintin made me dream of archaeology and Indy made me crave tomb-raiding quests, Walker Bean carved a place in my imagination for sea curses, pirate ships, and stormy horizons.

⭐ Rating: 10/10

A chaotic, salt-soaked, unforgettable pirate adventure that deserves to sit on the same shelf as Tintin and Indiana Jones.

🚨 Major Spoilers – The Unsinkable Walker Bean (2010)

The story kicks off when Walker’s grandfather, a retired sailor, falls ill after touching the cursed skull of the Merwitches. His skin turns pale and he weakens rapidly, the curse spreading through him like a living disease. The skull is an object of dread, said to belong to grotesque sea witches who curse anyone foolish enough to claim it.

Walker, desperate to save his grandfather, learns that the only way to break the curse is to return the skull to the witches themselves. That’s no easy task, considering the Merwitches are horrifying sea monsters who rule the darkest reaches of the ocean.

Along the way, Walker meets Gen and Shiv, two kids who become his companions, sharing in the dangers and giving Walker the courage he lacks on his own.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hatch, a manipulative sailor, tries to use Walker and the skull for his own gain, stirring betrayal and danger at sea.

The Skull Pirates also hunt Walker, believing the skull can give them supernatural power.


The Merwitches themselves are the most terrifying part: grotesque, enormous sea hags with glowing eyes, skeletal faces, and monstrous teeth. They lurk in the sea caves and strike terror into anyone who dares come near.

The climax comes when Walker ventures into their watery domain. Surrounded by their nightmarish forms, he resists fear long enough to return the skull to them. The witches accept the offering, breaking the curse, and Walker’s grandfather recovers.

But the witches do not forgive easily. Their parting presence in the caves leaves a permanent impression: they will always guard their cursed relics, and the sea will never truly be safe.

Walker comes out changed — braver, less timid, and fully aware that adventure, as terrifying as it can be, is sometimes the only way forward.