Storms at Sea

by Mark Schultz (Illustrator)

“History as you think you understand it does not exist, Griff. The world you think you know is actually a construct fashioned from the fears of the human race.”

The contours of her eyes were soft and inviting, but, if you looked straight into them, they got sharp and feral.

“I don’t lie, Griff. Ever. In my world, if you need to lie, it’s already too late.”

A scientist working to develop a new source of limitless energy is dead, and the man who was hired to protect him needs to know why.

The dead man’s niece and a mysterious manuscript from his laboratory safe may hold all the answers, or they may lead down an endless rabbit hole ending in madness and cataclysm.

Now the man named Griff must decide how far he can trust the girl--and how much he is willing to risk--as he stumbles blindly toward the powers that control our fates.

Storms at Sea is Mark Schultz’s new, heavily illustrated novella that explores the border between what we want to believe is true and the reality that we'd prefer to keep concealed. From a crime-fiction framework, it opens up into a breathtaking journey through cryptic history, cautionary science-fiction and a speculative vision of the deep future The story is told through 31 pages of prose and 31 full-page illustrations.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Pulp, Adventure

80 pages, Hardcover

First published August 11, 2015

About the author

Mark Schultz is an American writer and illustrator of books and comics. His most widely recognized work is the creator-owned comic book series Xenozoic Tales, which describes a post-apocalyptic world where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures coexist with humans. In 1993, Xenozoic Tales was adapted into an animated series titled Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and a video game of the same name. Schultz's other notable works include various Aliens comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse and a four-year run on the DC Comics series Superman: The Man of Steel. In 2004, Schultz took over the scripting duties of the Prince Valiant comic strip.

Reviews

[MB Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very odd story with over 30 full page drawings by Schultz. Very little happens in the story itself; most of the story is a narration of events long past.

It's possible to read this as a precursor to Schultz's Xenozoic Tales Series

I found it very interesting; I'm giving it 4 stars for uniqueness.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and very unique story and story format. It's not quite a short story. It's not quite a graphic novel. It's also not quite a Pictures book. It's kind of all three as it tells a story that's also a genre mash up of hard boiled detective fiction and various science fiction and horror influences ranging from HG Wells to HP Lovecraft in this story of a man hired to protect a scientist learning about old gods, secret societies, and forces steering the course of events. Loved it!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Schultz's illustrations are, as usual, to die for. The story, about an illuminati-style secret society and its influence over the world, tracking into the distant future, starts sluggish and, despite a few nice nods to classic pulp adventure stories, struggles to get past its overly expository framing sequence. It does pick up as it goes along, thankfully.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very tantalizing maybe-prologue for Xenozoic Tales. While Shultz is generally lauded for his art (deservedly so), I actually really enjoy his storytelling. It's why I am STILL holding out hope for a full exploration of this world. I did really enjoy the novella, and my only real complaint is that it IS a novella rather than a full volume.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tough one to rate ...

Story: 2+ stars (a bit hokey and uneven)
Art: 5 stars! (superb work)

[Kelly Bott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, but a little different than a normal book. This is actually more like a novella of one long scene. Loved the artwork.

[Jason Bergman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewing this book is a little hard. On the one hand, Storms at Sea is the first new illustrated work by Schultz in...oh, god, I can't even remember. And let's be clear, as a collection of illustrations, it is positively sublime. Schultz is a master of pulp illustration, although that title seems almost insulting given the quality of his work. The man is a god when it comes to this stuff. And this book has page after page of lush, evocative drawings.

But Storms at Sea isn't an art book (not really), it's an illustrated novella. And there's where the problem comes in. Because the story that's supposed to connect these drawings isn't very good. In fact, it's kinda mediocre.

This is especially a shame, because Schultz has proven himself to be a pretty decent writer in the past. And Storms at Sea even has some ties to Xenozoic, his masterwork so desperately crying for a new installment.

But mediocre it is. Drawings that show amazing action taking place have a painfully bland narrative on the opposite page. There's a great story to be told from these same drawings, but you won't find it here.

Still, the drawings alone make Storms at Sea worth a purchase. If you're a fan, you know just how slow Schultz can be (it took nearly a decade to produce this book), so you better take what you can get.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a story, but a long scene in which one character tells another the history of the world through a pulp lens. It's cool the way Schultz ties things like King Kong and his own Xenozoic Tales into the world he's describing, but I was hoping for more action and plot. The illustrations are amazing, of course, but don't always relate closely to the text. Storms at Sea works best as an art book. That's how I'll be revisiting it.

[J. Griff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story, but it didn't go exactly where I thought it would. Loved the artist's style.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting narrative style; the illustrations are beautiful, and the inclusion of a musical score was an interesting touch. The narrative style felt a bit like a film noir - dark, fatal; always just on the edge of the mystery, but having it slip just out of reach. The story itself didn't strike me as particularly profound, but it was interesting enough for me to keep reading through the end.