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Shuck Unmasked
Shuck is a demon who used to be in the business of guarding souls. Wearing an old man mask to hide his goat-faced nature and to fit into his new retired lifestyle, Shuck lives in a house next door to little Thursday Friday, her mom and her talking cat Jamara. The mask doesn't help him hide and Shuck is drawn into the netherworld he thought he had left behind. Adventure ensues. Shuck Unmasked collects the first four issues of the Ignatz nominated Shuck Comics and includes 54 pages of new material.
- GenresGraphic Novels
168 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 27, 2018
Odd, unexpected, often moving. Shuck is a big-league demon who has retired to the human world, where no one seems to notice the ungodly horns poking out from behind his placid old-man mask. Hell isn't about to leave him alone, though, and the various interconnected stories here force him to reckon with unfinished business, showing that even a ferocious denizen of the underworld can't run away from his past.
The art here is simple but serviceable, with some real charm emanating from Shuck and several other characters. The true point of distinction is the syntax - the dialogue reads like Milt Gross and George Herriman's offspring had William Faulkner as an MFA creative writing instructor. It doesn't always work, but it's a bold choice, consistently applied, that contributes to the overall feeling that this is book is a small, hidden world that you've stumbled on by accident, a secret between you and itself.
The art here is simple but serviceable, with some real charm emanating from Shuck and several other characters. The true point of distinction is the syntax - the dialogue reads like Milt Gross and George Herriman's offspring had William Faulkner as an MFA creative writing instructor. It doesn't always work, but it's a bold choice, consistently applied, that contributes to the overall feeling that this is book is a small, hidden world that you've stumbled on by accident, a secret between you and itself.
April 19, 2015
As a reader you often search for that perfect pitch that transcends all the genres you enjoy. This rarely happens, especially in a graphic format but this little tome(slight in size, huge in content) went above and beyond my expectations. Is there such a thing as sweet, devilish, rotting whimsy? Can there really be a place where existential demons (not a metaphor)can be best friends with little girls named Thursday? There is and it exists within he pages of Shuck Unmasked. I fell in love here in that special way you fear you'll never discover in a book again as you get older. The cutting up and redistribution of the English language used will keep some people at bay but for me it just added to the richness of the whole experience. By the end I felt like I had learned a new form of English. I'd love to urge Rick Smith to give us more Shuck but I wouldn't want to ruin such a perfect pitch. 5 billion stars. On my shelf next to Katherine Dunn's 'Geek Love' which is a hard place to end up in my library.
November 1, 2014
An interesting and very strange character study of a Satyr/Satan figure, now in suburban retirement after centuries of employment in various jobs: nature spirit, literal scape goat, soul-collecting devil and
underworld prison guard.
He has a sweet and fairly touching friendship with an odd little girl in the neighborhood, and the whole thing is written in a garbled dialect sort of like Krazy Kat turned up a few notches.
It was certainly novel and entertaining, but not my favorite thing ever.
underworld prison guard.
He has a sweet and fairly touching friendship with an odd little girl in the neighborhood, and the whole thing is written in a garbled dialect sort of like Krazy Kat turned up a few notches.
It was certainly novel and entertaining, but not my favorite thing ever.
April 5, 2014
A wonderful story using a wonderful concept. One of my favorite self published comics. This is a collection of the first Shuck comic series. I have the individual issues of the second series, Shuck the Sulfurstar.
The only problem I have personally is the dialect specific spelling of the dialog. I had to reread most of the dialog twice to understand what is said. At times, It's almost headache inducing.
The only problem I have personally is the dialect specific spelling of the dialog. I had to reread most of the dialog twice to understand what is said. At times, It's almost headache inducing.
June 12, 2009
"So, what happens when a devil of sorts retires to boring suburban life?" told via cartoon strip in a kind of a crazy english/new englander faerie tale.
Gnashing visages vs graven images!
Everybody's doomed to rake leaves.
Gnashing visages vs graven images!
Everybody's doomed to rake leaves.
November 17, 2010
Trouble still findin' ole Shuck tho he up and moved out o those nether regions. Time's been long past since those Wicca wimmin been fond o' him and ole Scratch himself done gone and spent Shuck's retirement fund. Ferret yer self a way to be running yous eyez up on this.
October 29, 2014
Strange in a rather wondrous way.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews