Our first jaunt into the world of “Shutter” was an adventure and a half, with the scope and oddness of this universe definitely catching our attention. Things get even more esoteric in this second chapter, but there’s just enough emotion here to keep us grounded.
Written by Joe Keatinge
Illustrated by Leila Del DucaKate Kristopher has been kidnapped by a robot, a few rat kids in cute outfits and a bunch of ninja ghosts. Luckily the NYPD pursues them in their flying saucers. Everything goes horribly wrong. Death happens.
Contrasted with the first issue, this second chapter of “Shutter” feels scattered; it’s mostly shorter scenes that deliver the nuts and bolts of the action as all hell breaks loose across New York City. Kate Kristopher’s been captured – we’re not sure why – and while her escape from this particular situation is speedy, it’s clear there’s more trouble ahead.
Her own adventures aside, Kate lives in one wacky world, and we’ve not learned much about it as of yet. This wouldn’t be a problem, except that the plot seems to be relying on the same tell-as-little-as-possible philosophy by focusing on the action. Put together, these two tendencies feel kind of cheap; the tension seems to stem from the deliberate holding back of detail, rather than the meat of the story itself.
One advantage of this storytelling style, though, is that it hands the world-building over to Del Duca – and while that sounds sort of backhanded, relaying some exposition to the realm of the visual is a solid storytelling choice unto itself. With its sure-handed perspective and perfectly parsed-out layouts, Del Duca’s art style certainly has room for detail. And detail we get, filling out the backgrounds of indoor scenes and emphasizing the scale of the cityscapes. You can spend a lot of time on each panel, wondering at this world if not out-and-out learning about it; and all the while, Owen Gieni’s colours are lustrous and appealing, leaning into the warm tones and making this New York feel very alive.
The characterizations are also a joy – even and especially when it comes to the non-human characters, like Kate’s alarm clock/servant/cat. Del Duca plays their animalistic forms against their human behaviour and comes up with pathos rather than satire – no mean feat, that, and a neat way of anchoring the unusual elements of this story.
Kate herself, meanwhile, continues to come across with nuance. This is a character who has quit being an explorer, for whatever reason, and we feel her tiredness and reluctance without tiring of it ourselves. Her vague and understated dialogue encourages us to read her expressions for clues, and the traces of sadness are definitely present, gesturing toward Kate’s past and the tragedy we know is lurking there.
By the end of this issue, the cliffhanger that ended the first issue still hasn’t been explored – only in this case, leaving a big question in the dark feels like the right move. It’s a flashback earlier in the issue that does the trick, addressing the general topic of the mystery at hand and kind of breaking our hearts. Finding the warmth and sadness in this encounter between father and daughter, Keatinge and Del Duca get at the emotional dimension of Kate’s predicament, and make this story feel like it’s headed somewhere worthwhile.
It’s playing some games with us, but “Shutter” is a lot of fun all the same. Part of it is the gorgeousness of Del Duca’s work; part of it is the emotionality lurking somewhere under all the antics; and part of it is probably the antics themselves, depending on your tastes as a reader. In any case, “Shutter” is a lively read, and it promises some hard-hitting revelations in issues to come.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
