Strap in, folks. Today’s entry’s gonna get wild.
The official motto of the Shutter creative team must be, “Yes, do it!” This book has space travel, sentient appliances, fantasy creatures, aliens, future tech, ghost ninjas, sewer gators, cthonic beasts, and possessed robots. And that’s only the first issue. After that it gets really weird.
You might think that a book with so much packed in would be unfocused. Shutter isn’t. All this orbits a young woman named Kate, who used to adventure with her father and write about their exploits together. But he’s gone now, and she’s feeling lost. And then her family reaches out to her and pulls her into their secret history. It’s a fun read, but one with a strong emotional core. It can be funny, but it can also be sad and serious.
Leila del Duca and Owen Gieni must have the most fun drawing and coloring this book. Del Duca’s character designs are clever and creative, and her linework is incredibly detailed. She shifts her style from beat to beat depending on the book’s tone at any given moment. And Gieni’s colors are rich and textured.
Shutter was a fun read from start to finish. I have the impression that this title flies under a lot of people’s radar, but they’re a few trades in now, and I definitely think it’s worth picking up. This is a book that does what it wants and isn’t afraid of being quirky, and it is all the stronger for that.
Collected in
- Shutter, Vol. 1: Wanderlost (#5-8)
Credits
Writer: Joe Keatinge | Artist: Leila del Duca | Colorist: Owen Gieni | Letterer: Ed Brisson