Shutter, Vol. 1: Wanderlost (Shutter #1-6) by Joe Keatinge
I got this graphic novel as an impulse buy from a little used book store that I was browsing while waiting for my carry out order at the restaurant next door to be prepared. I noticed that it was obviously about a photographer since the title is so aptly named Shutter, and of course the character on the front has a camera. I am an aspiring photographer and so when I saw this I thought, how unique! I will have to give this a try! I immediately began reading while continuing to wait for my food, and almost didn’t hear my name being called because I was so into it!
So what is it actually about? The main character Kate has lived a sort of Indiana Jones type of life with her father being a great explorer who has taken her with him on all his journeys. With life consisting of just Kate and her father for so long, its no wonder that when this novel begins, we see Kate in a state of disrepair. Her father died 10 years ago, and she has been just trying to live a normal life with her roommate and best friend while getting over the loss of her father that she was so close to. But while making a routine trip to the cemetery to visit her fathers grave, she is suddenly attacked and told that she has siblings she never knew about who want her dead. With the skills to defend herself taught long ago by her father over the course of their many adventures, she manages to escape but the search for her is not over, and there is still so much that she doesn’t know about her own life that is about to unfold before her.
Upon first impression, I really liked the art. The style seems vintage with the coloring and the way its almost like you can see the sketching beneath the color. I also love how sharp and different the way the characters are drawn, instead of all the doe eyed Disney characters that everything is drawn out to be here lately, its refreshing to see a different, edgy type of character representation. The story is also a bit different because its not just solely based around humans. This is a world where there are also animals that have human traits and the ability to walk and talk as we do. All together, the art, the characters, the world and setting really make for an interesting blend that I really enjoyed!
I really liked Kate’s character. She became a photographer after her father died in order to get out of the crazy life her father had been living for so long that inevitably got him killed. No longer wanting to go down that road, Kate makes the decision to leave the family home behind and move to the city to pursue a career where she works hard for the meager pay she gets and can focus on the menial tasks of day to day life rather than trips to the moon, or journeying to deep jungles looking for artifacts, or waging wars with far off enemies. Her character is a bad ass hiding in plain sight, and I love her for it!
The story is very fast paced filled with lots of action and the mystery of who is after Kate and why would they want her dead? After finishing this, I immediately put the second volume on my TBR to maybe buy on my next impulse buy if I end up visiting the bookshop again. I don’t think I would go out of my way to devour these one right after another, but they are definitely worth the read and a fun story in which to get caught up! They are easy to follow and read, which is sometimes just what you need when work and everyday life start to bog you down (like sometimes happens to me). If you like Indiana Jones with a little bit of a sci fi flare, then you’ll love Shutter!
Let’s Talk About It
Do you ever buy books on impulse? If so, is it usually a hit or a miss? Have you ever found a gem of a book this way? I’d love to know what you think! Leave me a comment down below!
