Handwritten Entertainment 2018
Written & Lettered by Shawn Gabborin
Illustrated by Sergio Rios
Coloured by Rosa Colon
A pair of amateur film makers and a grizzled hunter find themselves face-to-face with a seldom seen water-based branch of humanity’s family tree… the aquatic ape, the Sharksquatch!
That comics can be fun and for no other reason has been coming back. My grandmother used to call them funnybooks regardless of whether or not they were. This however really the definition of a funnybook and I might be in love with it. For those of who are wondering yes this really is in the vein of a made for SyFy film which let’s face it is a guilty pleasure of everyone so don’t pretend like it’s not. Also we are all fans of Grizzlyshark vs. Seabear so this fits right on in and it’s extremely well done so let’s take a closer look at why.
The concept here is great and the fact that our film makers are in the area to find a Sasquatch until they meet Chief. Right off the bat we are getting some amazing characterisation on Chief and he’s that big game hunter type who we would see as the town eccentric. You wouldn’t say that to him since he’s looking like Crocodile Dundee complete with a big knife. His dialogue here is actually more intelligent than I was expecting and that his Aquatic Ape Theory is legit is even better. That Shawn goes the extra mile and inserts something most of us probably haven’t heard of but is a theory that is out there and it is supported is fantastic! Yes I went it looked it up and now that you’ve heard it you will too, it’s what we do. Guess what if you checked it out then the book taught you something you didn’t know and it’s gotten you to go beyond what’s written and made it resonate with you that much more.
The way the book is structured is great there is a very cinematic flow to the book that makes it seem like the pacing is faster than it actually is. I love the way that characters are introduced and the rate that information and personality traits, faking stuff so they could get “the shot” kind of thing, as well as when the time comes the realisation of the truth. All of those things that we see here is done in such a way that makes sense and feels natural, well as natural as a story like this can be. In a sense it also reminds me of Scooby-Doo animated film which I am sorry but it’s another aspect that I adore beyond belief.
Sergio and Rosa do some absolutely amazing work on the interiors here. The linework is sensational there is a very fine strong hand at work here and it shows in how we see it. Then there are those more delicate lines that show off a softer touch which helps when fleshing out the hair, with the beard on the arms of Chief, and folds of the clothings. Yeah it looks like the clothes they wear are lived in and accurate. The attention to detail is fabulous and the creativity and imagination is utterly delightful. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows off a stellar eye for storytelling. The colouring is great and really does set that great overall tone, mood and feel of the book.
I am super impressed with this issue. I love Shawn and I love his work so coming into this I expected nothing but to be entertained and he did that and so much more. The story is camp but that’s okay and by being able to infuse legitimate ideas and aspect into it has turned into something more than just mere camp. This is my definition of a funnybook, it’s extremely well written and has delightful interiors there is no way you can wrong with this!
It is available here-- https://squareup.com/store/Handwritten-Entertainment/