EYES ON SHADOW OF THE KRAKEN #1
In Shadow of the Kraken, a royal navy lieutenant goes rogue and turns into a pirate after watching the cruelty of his superiors and fellow crewmates.
This book is set in the Caribbean during the 1700s. Nathaniel James Calin was once part of the Royal Navy of the British crown. He then turned to piracy, along with Anne Galway, a survivor in her own regard. He is the captain of the pirate ship “The Kraken”. The crew of “The Kraken” is made up of mostly freed slaves and other defectors from the Royal Navy.
THE CREATOR
Vinnie Tartamella is the creator, artist, and writer of Shadow of the Kraken #1. Vinnie Tartamella is a self-taught artist that worked for several significant companies such as McFarlane Toys as a lead designer, Image Comics as a Cover artist, and many more.
He is also the creator/writer/artist of the City of Venus: Dead City, co-creator, and artist for Through the Woods, co-creator and artist for The Ghostly Manor on Howling Hill, and former Lead Designer for McFarlane toys, Toys Biz, Diamond Select, Randy Bowen and cover artist for Image comics, Blue Water Comics, and other various companies.
It’s not difficult to get interested in the project once you see some of Vinnie’s previous work online, and explore his content on his Youtube channel.
THE BOOK
The quality of the interiors of Shadow of the Kraken #1 is similar to Through the Woods: high-quality printing overall for the softcover and interior art. The spine of the book is printed with the book information and the binding is good. The art looks amazing! I like the vibrant colors. Great work done on the fight scenes and the animal attack scenes.
THE STORY
I was hooked from the first page. An intense story set during a very dangerous time in history full of action and adventure. The story is engaging and the art illustration of the flora and fauna of Caribbean islands were lovely. The panel with the shark attack is stunning.
The story is for mature audiences. It does show you the reality of pirate life, the dangers of the sea, living on the sea, the brutal fights, and the slave trade that was a profitable business at the time. You will see rare treasures and illustrated deadly threats from above and below the waves.
Nathaniel goes on a mission to steal a strange treasure along with his trusted companion Anne Galway. We learn how they met. Anne and her sister’s ship was boarded by the Royal Navy. Their behavior towards the ladies was as bad as pirates. To the point where they were ready to physically assault them. Nathaniel couldn’t take it anymore and tried to help. Unfortunately, Anne’s sister does not survive. Since then Nathaniel and Anne have always been together. Now, this new treasure they acquired appears to have a special significance and has the interest of a particular character that is now looking for the treasure, a man by the name of Jacob McVane. He is a treacherous, ruthless, and duplicitous man with a vicious crew and a vindictive nature. Will he be able to catch them and take the treasure?
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Personally, I feel the story ended abruptly probably because I was so immersed in it that I didn’t even look at the time. But I admit that it is a good cliffhanger. I appreciated that the male gaze and the female gaze were equally served. I understood a year ago that (Independent) American Comics has mostly male readers and a small percentage of female readers. A small percentage that I believe is growing due to the poor-quality entertainment that is being produced in the mainstream in recent years.
The main themes of the story in my opinion are humanity, loyalty, survival, and betrayal. Nathaniel reached for his humanity and tried to help Anne and her sister. The actions of his peers surpassed his limit to tolerate abuse. As a pirate, his actions as a leader inspire loyalty from his crew. They owe him their survival. I did not expect that betrayal of his trusted companion to happen. There is not much detail given as to how it exactly happened and what deal was made. Jacob is malignant and merciless. Maybe there was torture involved? Or was it deliberate? In the end, the traitor still tries to help Nathaniel when it seems too late.
EXPERIENCE WITH THE CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN
This time I got just the main-cover book tier from the crowdfunding campaign. No free goodies this time. My experience with the project was good. The book was almost immediately shipped, and I received it very quickly considering my shipping situation.
No problems with receiving the packages. Tracking information was provided by the project manager through Indiegogo. I wish others would do the same as standard practice. The book came in a gemini mailer, well packaged to survive the multiple handlings.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Shadow of the Kraken #1 is an engaging and entertaining story. The quality of the printed book is great. I had a great time reading the story. The time went flying by which give the impression that the story was short, but it wasn’t. I was just too much into it. There is so much I wanted to tell but if I do I would basically tell the whole story. It is worth having a look into it.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the story and I’m very happy with the book.
I hope it doesn’t take long to get issue #2. Will it be a trilogy?
As of date, the project is still “InDemand” on Indiegogo. Make sure to check it out!
Interested in more titles? Check the latest publications from the “EYES ON” series wherein I documented my experience with crowdfunding campaigns and shared my notes on the products I received:
- EYES ON TINSELTOWN: IN THE KILLZONE!
- EYES ON BLACK TIDE RISING: VOLUME 1
- EYES ON JETTA RAYE ADVENTURES
- EYES ON INFINITALE CHRONICLES BOOK 1
My notes are all set. Let me know what you think.
See you on the next page!
