I won't dither too much, once again, on how comics are a hard sell for me. They just don't seem to grab me like prose. I can enjoy the art. Often the storytelling too. There is just something about the medium that doesn't click for me and makes it hard to justiy dropping cash.
With that said, SHAKAR - EYE OF THE MIDNIGHT GOD is impressive.
Very.
First thing, first. This is an ADULT comic. That is not a bad thing, but worth a note. I've heard many go on about how the old SAVAGE SWORD comics were more mature than the BARBARIAN line. That may be true, but I feel this all might pale in the wake of SHAKAR. Listen, I'm no prude, but I was a little taken aback by the ample nudity in the first chapter of this comic and then again at the detailed sex scene toward the end of it. It's not graphic, but maybe a touch more than soft core. I will readily admit to having studied these panels and pages with a lingering gaze.
There is violence too. By the bucket full. But I'm in America and what's more American than that? It's the boobies that bring out pitchforks here.
Think of the children.
What's even more impressive about all this is that this comic is a one man endeavor. This is the passion project of an extremely talented individual who knows the craft well. In all honesty, I think Trevor Ngwenya (aka KUBO on Whetstone Discord) is some sort of Sword and Sorcery (also Soul) savant.
I've been doing a lot of writing lately and then swtiching to editor mode. It was only natural for me to spot a couple very minor typos in like two speech bubbles. But seeing this was crafted by a one man army, I can't hold that against him. I reached out to the author/artist via Discord to ask a couple questions before this review and he informed me that English isn't even his first language.
This particular knowledge makes my next point all the more momentous.
The narration in this comic is absolutely epic. The first chapter, I believe, has zero dialogue and the story is conveyed through the words of a sharp, evocative narrator. I imagine Mr. Ngwenya has read IMARO. Probably some Milton Davis too. I don't know. But the occasional use of presumably African-inspired words to describe different things is very Saunders. For the most part, the reader is able to glean a rough definition from the context provided by art. These words also have an asterix beside them, elluding to true definitions that can be found in a short glossary at the end. If this concerns you, truly there are like maybe ten words and they each pop up once. It's not a big deal.
I cannot truly outsell the artistry and passion present here. The setting, the people, the
weapons and sorcery, are all rendered with love. There are even two different maps to help orient us in the world. This episode takes place it what is clearly an Africa analogue, but one of the maps shows that Trevor has taken great care to think about the world at large, mapping out various continents with obvious analogues. This is great stuff with lots of potential, though if you've listened to the podcast or read half my reviews, I am dead tired of obvious Euro-centric settings and would love to see SHAKAR wandering more exotic locales.
But that is neither here nor there.
As for the story, I don't want to say it's standard Sword & Sorcery (Soul) fare, but fans of the niche will get what they came for. There are sorcerous artifacts, a necromancer, and Lovecraftian connotations. The cover of the book claims this is "Book 0: Chapter 1". That, alongside hints and foreshadowing in the plot, tells me this is setting up a grander arc that will be reminiscent of Imaro's journey. The namesake character, Shakar, is a brooding warrior from some faraway land who has found himself at the edge of the world trying to forget his sorrows. Just when he thinks he has found a single night's comfort, fate violently intervenes. We don't know much about Shakar yet, other than he has a badass name and was likely a slave or some other kind of prisoner in the recent past. I have no doubt that all will be explained in due time.
Something I thought was very interesting is that toward the very beginning of the book, there is a QR code that leads to soundtrack. I have not encoutered this before in a comic, but I've only read like twelve, so maybe I'm missing out. I don't typically read and listen to music at the same time, but I felt the review would disingenous if I didn't give it a listen. the code led me to a list of apps where I could listen and I chose Spotify. While it did bring me to the soundtrack, it kept playing a song that I don't think was even on it. I'm not sure if this was a hiccup of the app or what. That said, Spotify has been TERRIBLE with ads lately (I will never drink Capri Sun again out of spite and principal) so I'd highly recommend opening the soundtrack with BandCamp, another option.
Each track offers up a soundscape that fits the mood of the book as the story progresses. Some are ambient, while others are rife with traditional African inspired tunes full of drum beats, rattling, and chants. I am a slow reader, and I'm not sure I could keep up with the pace of the tracks. I would be interested to hear if these songs were timed to match sections of the book. The artist who composed the music is A.B.I.L. and is out of South Africa. There are only eight tracks and the whole thing runs just over ten minutes. If this was intened to be listened to alongside the book, it might be a little fast, but in BandCamp there is a guide that explains which pages inspred each track. Regardless, it is a novel and interesting addition that is worth listening to at least once.
For a non-comic reader, SHAKAR - THE EYE OF THE MIDNIGHT GOD is a banger. Much like my BLACK BETH review, the art for his book really vibes. The fact the entire project was completed by one passionate man is astounding. At the very end of the book, there is another QR code that sends you to KUBO's Linktree where you can find various social media links and offer support. I've taken the liberty of putting a few below, including his Patreon. If you are one to support creators in this manner and like what you see, I think SHAKAR and his creator are well worth your time and cash.
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