Review – Hook Jaw #1 (of 5) (Titan Comics)

Publisher: Titan Comics
Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: Conor Boyle
Release Date: 21^st December 2016

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when this came across my desk (I only later discovered the history of the character). Upon first reading, it comes across very much as a “Jaws” rip-off. A group of sharks are going to mess up some humans and the research team protagonists are going to have to stop them. So far so familiar, right?

However, a clear difference in this particular story is the fact that we get to hear some of the shark’s (Hookjaw) thoughts as he goes about his business. These thoughts come across as very simple and animalistic, which goes against somewhat overused the trope of animals thinking like humans. This is a breath of fresh air in that the animal’s thoughts seem alien and near incomprehensible, with the exception of a few shared key ideas.

Unfortunately, the humans – as per a lot of first issues – are bland and two-dimensional stereotypes that will, hopefully, be fleshed out in issues to come. There also isn’t really much to go on in terms of story as it is the first issue, focusing as it does primarily on establishing the premise and getting all the pieces out of the box and onto the board.

I have to say, Conor Boyle’s artwork is not to my particular tastes, but isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. It certainly keeps the story moving fluidly and portrays the action well. I always have trouble with commenting on the artwork objectively since it is such a subjective topic. I certainly wouldn’t rate this issue down for it.

Overall, this is an interesting concept and, with a few issues to flesh things out and build up some momentum, could easily become something to get truly excited about.

Rating: 3/5.

PREVIEW ARTWORK
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