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Shrugged #1

By Hervé St.Louis
June 17, 2006 - 10:09

Imagine if both of your parents were shrinks, constantly analysing you. Worse, imagine if you had two little voices in your head constantly trying to tell you what to do. Imagine if those voices could control your body.
That’s the problem that gifted highschool student Theo faces as he struggles to make sense of right and wrong while two envoys from the worlds of Elysia and Nefario whose task is to guide and observe him.

This is a great story that would be an excellent choice for teens and older teens. I wish they had books like that when I was fifteen-year-old. Shrugged is easy to get into and the plot is very solid. Theo’s problems are universal with a little twist thrown in. He wants to impress the girls and stand off the bullies. Yet, he’s not sure of being in control of his body. Many teens feel this way as the physical changes in their body is faster than their mind can keep up. This is a great beginning for what should be a cool series. The concept is fresh too. The only thing that bothered me is that Dev, the aggressive voice in Theo’s mind is too kind and gentile, to be the bad guy.

Obviously, working for Aspen, Gunnel is almost a clone of Michael Turner. But sometimes clones surpass their mentors. His work is cleaner and lines are sharp, thanks to the clean inking work of the inkers. Some of the storytelling could be improved, but his body posing is not stiff like Turner’s. Characters have a variety of poses and move fluidly. If he can keep up this work, this series will be become a fan-favourite.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12