*Click*
In a world more fantastic than ours, Kate Kristopher was an explorer with her father. Until she wasn't, after his death.
Fortunately for her, she gets roped back in as her supposedly dead father's secrets come out, and Kate is on the adventure of a lifetime, gathering friends and family to fight the world-controlling Prospero.
Shutter is written by Joe Keatinge and drawn by Leila Del Luca. It is published by Image Comics and is a 30-issue series.
List of Tropes:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Averted. Though Kate's world is very different than ours, it's not the future, just a world more fantastical than ours.
- Action Girl: Kate for sure, being a former explorer. Many of her friends and family, like Alain, Kalliyan, the General, and Huck also qualify.
- Amicable Exes: Kate and Huck still get along despite having broken up a while ago.
- Archnemesis Dad: Mostly averted. Though Chris Sr. does a lot of questionable things, he stays on the main characters' side and is portrayed as good at heart. Kate's mom, the leader of Prospero, is a different story.
- Art Shift: For flashbacks, the art style changes to imitate comics like Tintin, Garfield, and Roy Lichtenstein's work.
- Artificial Limbs: To replace the ones lose in the Prospero attack, Alain makes a robot arm for herself and a hand for Huckleberry.
- Axe-Crazy: While he does has a plan, Cassius can come off as this.
- Background Halo: One of the covers gives Kate this.
- Badass and Child Duo: Kate and Chris Jr., and Cassius and Chris Jr.
- Badass Family: The Kristophers.
- Big Bad: Prospero.
- Big Beautiful Woman: Zohra, while not very skinny, is gorgeous and a model. She was even The Muse for Nero.
- Big Damn Heroes: Alain and co. try to save Kate this way. They fail, but they still find her.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Ulysses, who appears incredibly kind at first, but turns out to betray Team Kristopher to Prospero. Subverted as he feels incredibly bad about it and afterwards, chooses to help them.
- Camera Fiend: As can be guessed by the title, Kate used to be this before things changed.
- Cat Folk: The people of Leonis.
- Cats Are Mean: Not at the start, but Alarm Cat/Cassius declines to this. Averted for all other Alarm Cats, however, whose goal is to be friends to their owners.
- Cats Are Snarkers: See above.
- Character Development: Most characters, but Alarm Cat's is the biggest.
- Chosen Conception Partner: Zohra was very close to Chris Sr., and she and her wife chose him to help them have Achebe.
- Civilized Animal: This universe has many of them.
- Cool Gate: The one leading to Prospero's Headquarters.
- Cool Old Guy: Kate's granddad Nero.
- Cowgirl: Huckleberry has the appearance of both one and The Gunslinger.
- Crystal Prison: Three rats trap Kate in one in the second issue. It appears to be a learnable art in this world.
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Subverted. Chris's motives are explained and he is a sympathetic character, but he is not Easily Forgiven by anyone, and he is not regarded as innocent.
- Denying the Dead Parent's Sins: Though Kate is surprised, this is generally averted, and Kate accepts the facts quickly.
- Disabled Snarker: Being in a wheelchair doesn't keep Achebe from being a Deadpan Snarker.
- Disappeared Dad: Chris Sr. was barely in the lives of some of his children.
- The End of the World as We Know It: Team Kristopher's mission, to bring down Prospero, is likely to result in this, and they know it.
- Evil Former Friend: Cassius, though Kate still cares for him.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Kate's hair changes often as she adapts to the events of the story. She starts off with a Tomboyish Ponytail, shaves half her head, and eventually goes bald.
- Family Theme Naming: Most of the Kristophers have names starting with K or C. Maeli, Achebe, and Ulysses are exceptions, not being named and raised by Chris.
- Fiery Redhead: The spunky Huckleberry.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Huck and Alain go from being total enemies to being close friends.
- Friends Are Chosen, Family Aren't: Kate feels Alain was a better sister to her then anyone ever was. Of course, she didn't know she had any sisters.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Huckleberry is half dinosaur whose mother is a dinosaur.
- Higher Understanding Through Drugs: Nero explains the family situation to Kate this way.
- Interspecies Romance: Kate and Huck, a human and a half-dinosaur.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kate's impulsive and brash, but a truly good person at heart.
- Kidnapped by an Ally: Kate goes through an attempted kidnapping carried out by animals sent from the General.
- Long-Lost Relative: Kate is very surprised to discover her dad is alive, her mom exists, and especially that she has a younger brother, nevertheless six siblings in total. Finding them is the main plot of Book Four.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Kate's mother is a leader of Prospero.
- Meaningful Rename: Alarm Cat changes to Cassius to reflect his more serious and less lawful development.
- Young Kalil decided to rename himself Leopard, as 'they're so badass!' and he has been learning to fight.
- Mind Rape: The leader of Prospero does this to Kate in issue 12. It transports Kate to Venice and erases some of her memories.
- Mysterious Parent: Chris Sr., big time, as well as Kate's mom.
- Nasty Party: When Team Kristopher arrives, to recruit him Ulysses lets Prospero attack and kill them.
- Not Quite Dead: Chris Sr. is still alive, though Kate thought the opposite.
- Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: While a lot of time passes before she can act on it, Kate has an almost literal one at the end of #12:
- Kate: I've gotta go kick some ass.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Shaw and Ekland, who only need the pay and couldn't care less about the circumstances.
- Repetitive Name: Chris Kristopher Sr., and Jr. Also counts as Two First Names.
- Robot Buddy: The purpose of all Alarm Cats.
- Rose-Haired Sweetie: Alain has some pink streaks. Though not perfect, she's one of the nicest characters in the series.
- Separated at Birth: Kate and Kalil.
- Sixth Ranger Traitor: Ulysses. See Bitch in Sheep's Clothing.
- Spikes of Villainy: Ekland has some.
- "Spread Wings" Frame Shot: Issue 5 has a "Spread Wings" Frame Shot on the cover with Kate posed in front of a monster with a halo and angel wings. This makes her look like an angel.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Kate and Alain, respectively.
- Weird West: Huck's home lands are farmland with dinosaurs.
