SHUTTER #1 Review


Does this series deserve to be called the Indiana Jones of the 21st Century? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

INDIANA JONES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY! Marvel Knights: Hulk and GLORY writer JOE KEATINGE teams up with artist extraordinaire LEILA DEL DUCA for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining the urban fantasy of Fables and the globe-spanning adventure of Y: The Last Man. Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer of an Earth far more fantastic than the one we know, is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting.

Shutter01_pg2Image always seem to bring out intriguing new series after another as though not all of them are smash hits most of them prove to be worth the while. I was particularly interested in this series due to the solicit as describing something as the 21st Century’s answer to Indiana Jones grabbing my attention. At the same time however it also brings with it high expectation and less room for error as it’s telling me exactly what I should expect.

Joe Keatinge spins an clever and charming opening issue for this series and though it has yet to fully prove worthy of it’s claim it certainly shows the promise to do so very quickly. Putting that analysis to one side what I really enjoyed about this issue was the way that Keatinge introduced Kate Kristofer with the transition between her childhood adventures with her dad to the present being very lighthearted. I also really enjoyed the world that Keatinge’s created as though there isn’t a huge difference between it and reality there are some strange differences and it’s the way he manages to make these feel normal that’s really clever.

Image are brilliant at pairing the right artist with the right story and they continue to do so here as Leila Del Duca suits Keatinge’s magical tale perfectly. The way that she captures the charming nature straight from the start shows great storytelling and understanding of scripts. It also adds to the overall tone of the issue and alongside the smooth layouts we get a vibrant and powerful flow to this story. Del Duca also does a wonderful job of showing emotion and tension with Kate’s facial expressions looking very realistic. Alongside this is the brilliant tone that colourist Owen Gieni gives with it giving an outstanding finishing touch to the art.

Shutter is definitely a series that I’ll be keeping my eye on as though it’s still to prove it’s initial claims it has already proven to be a series with a lot of depth and passion. Highly recommended.

OUR RATING
9.5
  • + Joe Keatinge introduces a fabulous world of adventure and mystery.
  • + Astonishing artwork by Leila Del Duca.
  • + A fantastic introduction to Kate Kristopher.
  • + Gripping cliffhanger!

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