Connect with us

Comics

5 Skull Review “Shutter” #4

Published

10 years ago

on

A childhoods worth of fantastical creatures and inventions grow up in a world that’s morals aren’t black and white, but shades of grey. That’s the amazingly creative world of “Shutter.” This month the story takes shape with the seemingly random events from previous issues coming together, but come with heaping spoonfuls of intrigue and mystery.

Shutter_04-1WRITTEN BY: Joe Keatinge

ART BY: Leila De Duca

PUBLISHER: Image

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: July 9, 2014

Reviewed By: Torbin Chimners

Issue four begins with an excellent short story revealing the background of a character introduced last issue. It’s told in a totally different style to the norm, but perfectly fits the story it’s telling. It’s formatted like I imagine comics looked in the 1920’s. Last month’s issue #3 opened in a similar fashion telling the story of issue #2’s cliffhanger, albeit with an absolutely brilliant Busy Town reference. I’m hoping this is a new trend that’ll continue as it’s a marvelous way to open a book.

Shawn and Ekland’s side story stands strong on its own. Ekland brings Shawn to Mikey, a smoking platypus who operates out of an alley with a fax machine. If that’s not something you want to read about, I don’t think we can be friends. In past issues I wasn’t overly interested in their side story. Not that it was bad, I was simply salivating so much for more of Kate’s story that nothing else mattered much. Now I’m equally anticipating both. With the world around Kate being a bit more whimsical and relatively safe for now, I’m genuinely excited to see Shawn and Ekland dig into the exceedingly violent and filthy underbelly of this astonishing world.

Visually you’ve got the whole package and then some here. The sheer amount of detail on each page is staggering. The characters are as expertly rendered as the background. Nothing looks phoned in, it’s a labor of love and you can damn well tell. The more you think about it the more impressive it is. The characters don’t all wear the same tights every issue and most of them are extraordinary creatures but Shutter’s art never suffers.

This is why I read comics. It’s a wondrous story that can only be told through this wonderful medium. If it were a film or television show the cost would be astronomical. That would mean there would be a million fingers in its pie, deluding, twisting and corrupting everything that makes it magical. Do the creativity in your life a favor and read “Shutter.”

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 

 

Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Comics

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

Published

21 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Witchblade cover

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.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

Continue Reading