Shark of War #1 is a comic written and drawn by Ben Lacy. A shark equipped with weapon upgrades goes after drug smugglers. This is a science fiction comic that deals with crime on the high seas and has a good amount of drama. The shark in question is the USS Gnasher, he was a shark who underwent technological and weapon upgrades and is now more intelligent and has directives to follow. Two women scientists are responsible for his transformation. This story begins with Gnasher attacking a boat with a few armed drug smugglers and a couple unarmed civilians aboard. After taking out all hostiles he slams down into the boat causing it to sink. He later questions whether or not to save a drowning boy. The violence in this story is very bloody and gory with many gruesome attacks. The pacing here is on the slower side due to the talking(rather, thinking) style of Gnasher. The tone is like that of a movie starring a sentient animal. There are many violently and a few dramatically intense moments. The dialogue is mostly thought narration from Gnasher(they basically have two brains) which reads like a computer processing information. There is decent back-and-forth during the conversational moments. There aren’t any word-heavy pages but the technical language used can make it read slower. This is a violent debut issue that focuses on a shark attempting to rid the sea of dangerous criminals.

            The art here uses 3D models that appear to have been drawn over. The color range is realistic with blues being the most prominent as this takes place on the sea. The scenery is all water with the occasional sandy beach. The main location is the lab where Gnasher was upgraded which is a rare indoor location. Due to Gnasher’s constant movements there are scenes taking place all over the sea from boat to boat to beaches. The backgrounds always show the surroundings which is usually water. The expression level here is towards the lower end as sharks cannot emote. Some of the emotions we’ll see from the humans include shock, anger, annoyance, and happiness. The faces have an above-average amount of detail so the expressions are usually clear but there is that uncanny valley feel that comes from 3D models. The bodies can also be a bit stiff. Gnasher has tougher skin and rockets to fly short distances. The weapons used here include firearms from pistols to machine guns. Gnasher primarily bites and smashers with gruesome attacks leading to blood and heavy gore. The action scenes come in short bursts and there are more than a few scattered throughout.

“Is this worth reading?”

Yes, if this is up your alley.

“Would I like this?”

If you like science fiction crime stories starring a shark enhanced by women scientists that take place on the high seas and have violence and drama then this is for you.

“What would this comic’s film rating be?”

R. Violence, blood, gruesomeness, gore.

“Could I get a quote from the comic?”

“I am unhurt. I wish to try again.”

 

Digital(Free) Link: https://mailchi.mp/ed97fcc5707b/bitingcomics

Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bitingcomics/shark-of-war-1-jaws-meets-robocop/description

Indiegogo Link: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shark-of-war-1-jaws-meets-robocop#/

***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***

Probably Contains Spoilers

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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 28

Violent Pages: 10, for 38% of the comic

Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic

 

**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**

 

Violence Level – 3

“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”

“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”

“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”

“This was a tournament arc.”

“All my life I had to fight.”

 

Gore Level – 5

“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”

“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”

“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”

“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”

“This is a slaughterhouse.”

 

Death Level – 3

“And everybody lived happily ever after.”

“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”

“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”

“Yeah this was a tragedy.”

“Think Gettysburg.”

 

Porn Level – 1

“Everybody kept their clothes on.”

“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”

“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”

“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”

“Oh. This is porn.”