'Shako’ – Mills, Wagner, Sola, Arancio (Rebellion)

THE ONLY BEAR ON THE C.I.A. DEATH LIST! ‘Shako’ is the eskimo word for the polar bear. It means simply... killer! When a US Air Force plane crashes within the arctic Circle, Shako the terror of the frozen wastes, is the first on the scene, getting his first taste of human flesh! Unfortunately for the CIA, the great white beast has also swallowed a top secret capsule which was being transported by the plane, and now they must track him down to retrieve it. This won't be an easy task, as Shako hates mankind. And what Shako hates, Shako destroys!

I first came across 'Shako' in an old 2000AD annual belonging to a mate of mine. I can't remember a lot of what was in that annual now (apart from a story about a criminal who been released from jail in the future and travelled back in time to get his revenge on the Judges who jailed him, why didn't he just kill them in the future when they were really old...?) but one thing I do remember is Shako trying to eat a US Pilot's head. For someone who had survived on a diet of 'Victor' comics (WW2 stories with some occasional sci-fi and, very rarely, horror), just that one panel blew my mind...

See what I mean? Damn...

I hadn't read 'Shako' since then but saw it on Amazon, the other day, and I'd been paid so... Here I am.

There isn't a lot in the way of plot here (apart from maybe a little nod to Captain Ahab in the character of Falmuth), it's all very straightforward with Shako having swallowed something very important and everyone trying to get it back. And that's very much the point, at least from where I'm sat, as the result is a lean, taut and pretty damn vicious tale of 'nature against man' where you know what's coming but you stick around anyway for a spectacle that is just awe-inspiring every single time. Mills and Wagner have created a practically indestructible Polar Bear that will more than happily fuck up pretty much anything that stands in his way (or doesn't, Shako is also a vengeful Polar Bear...) and not only does it look amazing but it all works as Shako is constantly using his environment as a weapon against everything. Seriously, in his origin story, Shako manages to sink an entire boat and he's only a cub... It's the main story that really shows us what Shako is all about though; claws, teeth and a trail of dead bodies behind him. It's simple stuff but all the more fun for it; Mills and Wagner really hit the spot with the tale of 'Shako'. It was so easy to keep the pages turning when I read it last night.

My edition isn't particularly helpful in determining which artist drew which piece of work; part of that is down to me to be fair (my knowledge of artwork in early 2000AD comics is desperately lacking) but the book doesn't give any clues either. All I can really say then is that there's a lot of really good artwork on show here with an appropriately bleak background drawing your attention to all the cool stuff that's happening up close. There's nothing quite as gory as the front cover but you're left in no doubt as to what Shako is all about and I for one couldn't take my eyes off it.

I'm really glad to have finally come across 'Shako' again; it may be a slim read (okay, it is a slim read) but I defy you to pick it up and not have a great time reading it. There's a lot to recommend 'Shako', I won't leave it so long before reading it again.