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Review “Shutter” #1

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Joe Keatinge and Leila De Duca breath new life into globetrotting adventure comics with their gigantic and imaginative world. Kate Kristopher may be bored with the world around her, but from everything we see, she has no reason to be. “Shutter” makes a solid effort to define itself in a genre carved out by timeless classics like The Adventures of Tintin and for the most part it succeeds.


WRITTEN BY: Joe Keatinge
ART BY: Leila De Duca
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: April 9, 2014

This comic begins by instilling a sense of wonder, adding a sense of bewilderment, and topping it off with a sense of casual complacency. You watch as Kate Kristopher is introduced into a very wild world from an incredibly young age and you’ll be in awe of the universe around her. She lives in a fantastic age filled with weird and marvelous creatures, but she claims her life is boring.

It’s hard to see. She has been on numerous fantastic adventures. The brief glimpses of her exploits that we’re treated too seem more exciting than I could possibly fathom. She’s Johnny Quest but grown up having saw enough to live a thousand lifetimes her world is far from ordinary, but doesn’t seem to faze her anymore.

The looming specters outside of the pages seem to characterize the story more that Kate herself. It’s a beautifully balanced script that shows something missing outside of the primal appeal of adventure, but it’s not quite clear what that something is just yet. It seems rooted in her relationship to her father, but surely there is more to it than that.

Leila De Duca will by all accounts blow you away. Her art is wildly imaginative and pulled off seamlessly. It’s actually quite stunning to see the scope of the world she has created here. Everything is completely outside the ordinary but manages to have a casual complacency about it. You’ll see a spaceman from 50’s science fiction serials sitting on the subway, and a business minotaur in a suit. Only to be juxtaposed by a swash buckling Kate swinging off a sinking ship as its attacked by a Chthulu like monster. It’s hard to fathom, but De Duca makes it look easy.

There is a lot about the power of childhood here on these pages. A child raised in constant danger comes to thrive off of it. They feel lost without it, and that certainly resonates with Kate. “Shutter” will surprise you. It’s not about all the beautiful and fantastic creatures on the page instead it’s an oddly heartfelt look at a woman’s loss of innocence and wonder in a world literally brimming with adventure.

Powerful and exciting with a flavor of the mundane “Shutter” sadly takes its time in this first issue to develop it’s characters and world a little too much without a real focus on what Kate’s story is actually about. For now though, #1 offers a tantalizing tease of the larger world to come.

Rating: 3.5/5 Skulls.

Comics

‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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