Written by: Ryan Ottley
Art by: Ryan Ottley & Ivan Plascencia
Publisher: Image
Grizzlyshark #1 might be the most deranged comic I’ve ever read, and I’ve gone through all five issues of I Hate Fairyland. I’ve also gone through every issue of Kaptara. The bar was set pretty fricken high, is what I’m saying. Also, the big takeaway here is that Image Comics publish some really, really crazy books. It’s mostly why I love them.
So gather ‘round everyone; we’re taking a trip down south to a cattle ranch! Livestock are being eaten, and the culprit is none other than a grizzly shark. If that sounds stupid, then you should just shut your mouth and not question your father. You should also know better than to walk into the woods to pee with a cut on your forehead. Sharks have a keen sense of smell.
Poor, poor Donnie didn’t listen.
I don’t…I don’t really want to talk too much about this one because it’s a comedy comic, and spoiling the plot kind of spoils the jokes. Suffice to say, a father and son are stuck in the woods with a grizzly shark chasing them, and the cavalry are three rednecks in a beat up car. The first is sleepy, the second is big and stupid, and the third is a specialist who likes ice cream a little too much for anyone’s safety.
Now mix all of this up in a blender, add some blood, and there you have it.
I went into this comic going, “This will probably be stupid and awesome,” and was right on both accounts. It’s a bit more stupid than awesome, but it’s still…well, something. It’s deranged for sure, and goddamn does it not care in the slightest.
I wish I could better articulate my feelings on it, really. I did laugh a lot though! That was the goal, and the goal was met.
The artwork is pretty fun, and the writing matches it. I could hear the characters speak in just the perfect way as I read their words. The facial expressions sell it all. “I know shark bites when I see ‘em!” the father yells, and I know that he thinks he does, even if he probably lives nowhere near an ocean. His mind is made up, and facts won’t get in the way of that.
He’s also right, as it turns out.
If you want something stupid and fun and pretty crazy, then yeah, Grizzlyshark #1 is worth a read. I had fun with it. It won’t amount to much more than a C-level SyFy movie horror story, but I don’t think it should. Themes and symbolism and all those other literary tools just wouldn’t fit.
Intelligence will not save you from a grizzly shark. Thankfully there are plenty of guns.
