The beauty and the problem of a brand new book is how long it takes to grab the readers attention. It’s a new character or new story and has nothing to build on. No preconceived notions, nothing except what is on the page before you. I will tell you that Shutter, the new Image title from writer Joe Keatinge and artist Leila del Duca, had me right from the opening spread.
We see an astronaut, but one that’s just a little bit smaller than usual, running across the moon saying, “Can we go home now?” That simple one line, with the visual, just made me smile. As parents, we go to great lengths to please our children and I can just picture my daughter, after taking her on a trip of a lifetime to the moon, saying that exact same line after about 10 minutes. Sigh.
Oh, the comic. Right, sorry. Shutter tells the story of Kate Kristopher. She was born into a family of explorers that goes back generations. In the opening, her father has decided to explain all of this to her. Then, to celebrate her seventh birthday, he takes her to the moon. Sounds like he is one of those Dads. You know, the ones that make the rest of us look bad? Geez.
We jump forward twenty years and Kate’s life is looking a little less exciting, even though the world around her is very different than ours. She has a cat clock that has quite the personality. There is a guy with a bulls head and a monocle on the train along with an astronaut. A kid with horns shows up and we find out that Kate is an author, or at least was, when he recognizes her. What has happened in the twenty years since that opening scene at the beginning of the book?
It turns out quite a bit has happened. To tell it all would rob you of the joy of finding out for yourself. Let’s just say that Kate has lived an amazing life which we get to glimpse a little more of as the story unfolds. There are some interesting hints dropped at what she is doing now and then there are ninjas. Ninjas are always good. Then there are the secrets. That final panel drops a big one that leaves you wanting to read issue 2 right away.
Joe Keatinge has crafted a wonderful story that, according to the letters page, has been burrowing around his brain for quite a while. It didn’t come to life until he met Leila del Duca at a convention. Based on this issue, they seem to be the perfect pair because this comic just sings.
Shutter takes the limitless playground of our imagination and puts it on the page for us to enjoy. It tweaks that part of your brain that craves adventure and mystery and it looks like it is going to be a fun ride.
