Before I really kick in on this review, I just have one thing that I must say regarding my assessment of Shutter #10… Artist Leila del Duca is an H-Bomb. Ok I said it…
Actually, I need to say more…
The lady blows up the visuals to white hot proportions…
Ok, that’s better…
Actually, del Duca has always been impressive in her renderings throughout this entire series. But the stuff that she does here in Issue #10 of Shutter is just off the charts. It is not only incredible to look at . But it quite simply will blow you away. BOOM!!!
And I know that I feel like a broken record when I say this. But here in this the 10th Issue of Shutter, I believe that del Duca and writer Joe Keatinge have crafted their best one to date. I know it is kind of lame to say. But it’s true. They are like creative Legos, building level upon level of goodness.
Now Shutter has always been one of those “treat” series for me, where I anxiously await its release as I have become engulfed into this super fantastical world of former adventurer and overall unique person Kate Kristopher and her search for answers regarding her long lost(?) father. That’s the simple story laid out. The much more impressive parts are the extensive detail of Kate’s entire family of adventurer/explorers that span generations and their mysterious secrets that only started with Kate’s missing father. Like putting a puzzle together, we are placing piece by piece of information to reach some form of understanding to the many unknowns of Kate’s family tree. For one, how does Kate have a bunch of siblings that she knew nothing about including a brother who allegedly was fathered well after his death and after Kate watched him die several years prior? Other questions are not so simple to answer, but Keatinge and del Duca have been putting things together leading us back to original family patriarch Harold Rathburn and his Porticullis Hypnos gateway into the World of Dreams, which now lie in the possession of Kate’s formally unknown sister Kalliyan.
Through Kalliyan’s plotting and damn near killing of Kate, the two have worked through things and have made their peace (kind of), now finding themselves entering into the Porticullis. The only problem is that instead of the two being escorted into the dream world with an armed to the teeth crew of Kalliyan’s thuggy soldiers, it is only Miss Kalliyan and Miss Kate who enter as Kate worked some mischief upon entry that made it only possible for those two to enter…Not a good idea by the looks of how this issue plays out.
Enter the World of Dreams…That’s is where we are. It is incredible, horrific, soul sacrificing, and soul releasing all at the same time. There are lots of bizarre things in that world that are simply too detailed to really describe here in my humble review. But I will say that this “world” is an interesting place filled with some surprises to say the least. It is also a realm within this title that allows del Duca to unleash her atomic energy of hell hot fury onto an unsuspecting reader with a strong assist given to colorist Owen Gieni and his funky fresh hues of reds, fogs, and such.
Joe Keatinge is still there too. Writing a smooth paced plot that addresses the back and forth banter of Kate and Kalliyan, as well as the introduction of patriarch Rathburn himself, which I will say is not what I expected (a pleasant surprise by the way). But really for most of this issue, the devil is located into the artistic details of the Dreamworld itself and its fascinating depiction. In a series of already incredible artistic feats, this one really takes on a whole new level of sweetness. Leila del Duca and Owen Gieni have some serious skills that I hope to see more of in the future of this series as well as other titles. Keep the good vibes coming. You guys are tearing it up. And, if you are not reading this series, I wholly recommend it as one for pull. You will be dazzled. You will be amazed. And above all, you will be entertained.
Score: 5/5
Shutter #10 Writer: Joe Keatinge Artist: Leila Del Duca Colorist: Owen Gieni Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 3/11/15 Format: Ongoing; Print; Digital