A review by Ross Joseph
A review by Ross JosephI just don’t get it. I really don’t. I’ve tried to read through the graphic novel of Sharky at least five times before writing this review. Each time I would get to the halfway point and simply give up from frustration at the lack of cohesiveness that is Sharky.
Let me explain the basic story because after just finishing this graphic novel, writing this down is the only way I’m hoping to make sense of it all.
Patrick is a teenage boy heading into puberty. He also happens to be superhero Sharky. Wait. No. Sorry, that isn’t true at all. Patrick is a teenage boy heading into puberty who wants to be a superhero. He also happens to read a comic book with his teenage friends with a superhero called Sharky. After Thor, a half naked female warrior, shows up on Earth during a battle, Patrick is hurt and sent off to hospital where he quickly discovers that he is in fact, Sharky. A demigod with spectacular strength and a sense of humour (?) to boot.
But wait, how is that even possible? Why is Patrick reading a comic with Sharky in it, but then later on he becomes Sharky himself? This doesn’t make sense to me and I just read the thing.
Writer and artist Dave Elliot and Alex Horley have obviously been heavily influenced by the Silver Age of Comics. The entire story oozes 1960’s classic Marvel, which is not a bad thing at all. I’m just a little disappointed the story was so hard to follow. At times I was flipping back through pages seeing if I had missed anything but, sadly, I hadn’t. The art was also something I found hard to swallow. It reminded me of the old MAD Magazine but disjointed and inconsistent.
The humour in this comic was completely off. I wasn’t laughing at all. not even a chuckle. The references to real world comics felt forced and an attempt to ground itself and be cool. It just didn’t work.
SHARKY is a mixed bag of feelings. The comedy is high here and the Silver Age homages come thick and fast. Yet it just wasn’t fun for me. Others may enjoy this sense of humour, however I was highly confused throughout. If I wanted classic 60’s Marvel comics, I’d go back and read them.
★☆☆☆☆ 1 out of 5 stars
