Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead
For awhile now, I’ve seen Charlie McFarland promoting Pistol Shrimp as often as he could on the likes of Social Media and when he offered up the first two issues for free via digitally on his website, I knew then and there it was time to finally check this title out! And I’m glad I did as the first two issues led me to buying the third issue a little while later. Pistol Shrimp is kind of like if you mixed one of those old Spaghetti Westerns (ya know, John Wayne or Clint Eastwood for example) with Finding Nemo and then a dash of Parody (Kung Fu Hustle as another example) thrown in for good measure. And to top it off, lots of Anthropomania! Gotta love that!
I have to admit, I was curious to see how this was gonna work given our lead is a literal Shrimp figure but I do believe my curiousity was well sated. Now Pistol Shrimp is the story of, well, Pistol Shrimp. A Shrimpy Fella whose out to find his lady love and their unborn child after a huge shake up that unfortunately came their way. One that was sadly started by a snot nosed punk and if ol’ Pistol knew how to get ahold of him, he’d probably have some strong words for ‘em! Unfortunately for our boy Pistol, finding Carolyn is easier said than done to a point its almost Herculean.
Or even on the level of the Odyssey for that matter. Especially as trouble keeps cropping up in the form of Shark Gangs, Revenge Seekers, a Whale, and Bandits. Oh my! Granted, some of this trouble easily could be avoided if Pistol handled some things differently but then we wouldn’t have much of a story. A story that may get you to smile through out and a chuckle or two as well.
I love that Charlie isn’t just solely focusing on the main points to get the story from A to C and so on, he’s taking his time with it all. Something you don’t entirely see a lot of in comics these days aside from perhaps a select few. And yeah, quite a bit of Pistol Shrimp isn’t exactly meant to be taken seriously but its part of the book’s charm and we need more humor in this world as it is. Charlie does a great job mixing the fun with the serious without over doing it.
Influences of Image, Vertigo, likely older X-Men, and others have helped Charlie to craft this story along with previous writing experiences. A story that is essentially a love letter to Comic Book fans and its damned awesome. Luis Morocho, Antonio Ramos-Wong, and Buddy Beaudoin all do great in their respective areas for this title. And I personally hope they’ll be sticking around for the long haul if Charlie chooses to make this an on-going.
Though one thing I had issue with is an early scene in the first issue where a panicked Pistol calls out for his lady love and its just weirdly backwards looking. I’m not sure if this was done on purpose as a way to show the chaotic nature of their situation, or something that was overlooked.
But beyond that, I don’t really have an issue otherwise. Pistol’s relationship with Reggie, his Seahorse, is really wonderful and I’m curious as to how the two met after the shake up our Shrimp fella went through. Tho given the cliffhanger we get at the end of the third issue, things are a bit murky in regards to Pistol, Reggie, and a pair of Sisters’ fates. Just what’s beyond Coral has me curious and if the reputation it has will live up to the hype. Or completely change Bethany’s perspective on the place while Dennis is going down a Rabbit Hole he may not be able to climb out of.
Whether he’s going down it because of his ambitions or doing so to help Pistol out in some way remains unclear but one can only hope he’ll come out relatively unscathed on the other end. Which makes you wonder how Carolyn’s gonna react when her and Pistol re-unite after all’s said and done! Like I mentioned earlier, I hope this is a title that’s gonna be around a good long while as it has a lot of potential.
And books like this is just one of the reasons I love the Indies because this is a gem in its own right. Which… Given Charlie was able to successfully fund each issue on Kickstarter clearly shows that others agree!
Editor’s Note: Pistol Shrimp can be found right here in both print and digital formats!
Pistol Shrimp #’s 1-3
King Brillip Comics
Artist: Luis Morocho
Writer: Charlie McFarland
Colors: Antonio Ramos-Wong
Letters: Buddy Beaudoin
Reviewer: Rob Wrecks
Summary: After being separated from the woman he loves, Pistol Shrimp sets out to find her no matter the cost.
