Shutter #1 caught me by surprise. I knew very little about it when I sat down to read it and I enjoyed it from front to back. I mentioned in my review that I felt connected to it from the first panel. I was anxiously awaiting issue #2 to arrive so that I could dig into it and continue the story.
My start of issue #2 was not good because I started reading it on a 7” tablet. The art didn’t jump out to me like it did in issue #1. It was confusing and I had trouble telling what was going on. I switched over to the large computer monitor, which is how I read the last issue, and things jumped to life. Leila del Duca is a true talent and I guess her art just needs to have a bigger canvas. Keep that in mind digital only readers. You are missing out by cramming it onto your phone or tablet.
Now on to the story. We kick off this issue with Alarm Cat, which thanks to our interview with del Duca, we know is going to be hanging around for a while. Alarm Cat has made cookies for Kate, but doesn’t seem to be aware that she is not home. She was abducted by the robot version of the Pringles guy. He’s joined by the rats from Cinderella for some reason. The saucer Police are giving chase along with some Gangster Lions. Oh, and the ghost ninjas are still around too. Is your head spinning yet?
Part of what I loved about the first issue was that things that seem out of place are actually common in this world. It was mostly done with a wink, but this issue takes subtlety and throws it out the window. There is so much going on that it is hard to understand. It’s a book that requires a re-read in order to catch everything. The mystery revealed at the end of the first book is expanded upon a little here, but really it just gives us even more questions. It also ends with another big cliff hanger.
Overall, it’s a solid second issue that dips a little from issue #1. Keatinge and del Duca have created something interesting and I’m enamored with how things are coming together. There is humor without it being humorous. Things like Lions and ghost ninjas wearing prison stripes. An Ape as a Doctor. None of those things feel like they are being done for laughs, but they do make me smile. If you missed out on Issue #1 then the second printing should be available this Wednesday along with Issue #2.
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