Comics

[Comic Book Review] “Shutter” #6 Proves Intrigue Isn’t Everything

Published

10 years ago

September 17, 2014

“Shutter” stumbles this month and has me incredibly torn. On the one hand it’s got a fight scene where someone rides a triceratops and on the other it adds even more uninteresting mysteries. The ambiguity is beginning to wear thin.

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WRITTEN BY: Joe Keatinge

ART BY: Leila De Duca

PUBLISHER: Image

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: September 17, 2014

Reviewed By: Torbin Chimners

Take for example the mystery of Kate’s siblings; we’re introduced to another one who briefly touches on the fact that there are even more. I’m starting to feel like there’s going to be a revolving door of siblings all with incredibly vague motivations that come into conflict with Kate.

I expected we’d have at least a mild grasp of what’s going on in Kate’s world at this point, but I feel more lost than ever. It’s becoming convoluted to the point of insanity. I like these characters (I like them a lot) and they’re deeply engaging, but the plot they are being pulled through means almost nothing to me now because every machination of it feels random. We’re 6 issues in now and the plot has amounted to Kate learning she’s been lied to about having siblings, she meets one and then decides to run away with him to get answers. It feels like we’re getting nowhere slowly.

One of my biggest issues this month is the way Ekland and Shaw are treated. They’re given a redundant scene that’s just there to make sure you really know these are the bad guys, then SPOILER they’re killed in the next scene. It’s already been thoroughly established that they’re bad; Ekland is even introduced massacring a bar full of people. It makes me question the point of them in the first place. They could have been introduced in this issue, had the scene showing they’re tough shit so you’re worried for Kate and Chris then die and be done with it. What was the point building both of them up in the background of the last 5 issues to have them go out with such a whimper?

While I’ve got my fair share of concerns when it comes to the plot I have no qualms with the stellar art. Leila Del Duca does nothing but kill it every issue of “Shutter” with some of the most beautiful 2 page spreads ever conceived this book is a visual powerhouse. Long after the story’s stopped making sense “Shutter” will be worth it for the art.

Over the last 5 issues I’ve heard and read about a lot of people becoming frustrated with Shutters continued convolution. I used to be on the opposite side of the fence, embracing its perplexing and quirky plot but now it’s pushed me over that fence headfirst. I want to keep enjoying “Shutter” but it’s making that one hell of a challenge.

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Torbin Chimners AKA Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter@Vulgar_Rhombus

Zac Thompson

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

7 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.