Gushing About the First Volume of Shrugged

Today's feature is a particular favorite from my bookshelf, "Shrugged: A Little Perspective" from Aspen Comics.  This is one of the many stories that first came from the imagination of the late Michael Turner before co-creator, Frank Mastromauro, and some other artists came in to bring this idea to the readers.  In the forward, it's mentioned how Aspen first gave comic fans a taste in a mini comic included in a 2006 issue of Wizard magazine.  This is where I first encountered the series.  The preview was packed in with some promotional material for Fathom and Soulfire.

The more I've learned about Turner, the more I appreciate the view and perspective he brought to comics, but honestly I haven't read his work with Top Cow or on his previous Aspen books.  Outside those publishers, I think his most famous work is part of a well known Supergirl comeback written by Jeph Loeb.  Turner passed away in 2008 after a fight with bone cancer.  There's a great documentary on YouTube about his life.

So this book, it isn't your traditional superhero story.  It gets into ethics, psychology, and even spirituality.  The premise theorizes that each of us humans on this plane of existence are given two life guides at birth in addition to our friends and family.  These two beings come from separate sides of a planet called Perspecta.  Guides from Elysia tended to be calm, reserved, peaceful people who

preferred to reason their layout of conflict.  On the other side, (Nefario) the people (and they generally were separate race from the Elysians were more outspoken, quick to action, and assertive.  They came from two separate schools of reasoning.  An Elysian and a Nefarian would be teamed up and assigned to guide people through life.  They each have their charge's best interest in mind though they tend to approach situations differently.  They bring balance to eachother's traits.  The monkey wrench in their mission of guidance is a group of gangsters called the "What If Mafia".  They work under an Elysian gone Nefarian and are responsible for theft, acts of malice, and other deeds that most Elysians and Nefarians stand against.  Their only goal is to provide temptations.

The primary characters of this book are Theo and his guides Ange and Dev. This is where a synopsis comes in so......


SPOILERS.



Ange and Dev have an idea of how special Theo is, but they're all taken by surprise when Theo starts hearing their conversations and debates.  They become entities that Theo grows conscious of, and their important job continues to spin out of control when they are able to physically manifest on Theo's plane of existence, and impact the lives of others.  As an underworld scheme develops in Perspecta, you get to see what happens when the Elysian/Nefarian balance in guidance is broken.  There are times where Dev starts bro'ing it up with Theo.  With Dev leaving his post to play a different role in Theo's life, Ange's traits of responsibility, politeness and being well-groomed increase their impact on Theo at times too.

For Theo, this all starts with him thinking that he was losing his mind.  Prior to the story, his older brother had commit suicide, and his parents are both psychologists who turn talk of mental health into dinner table discussion topics.  One of his two close friends, (Thom) has empathy for Theo as another  pubescent teenage boy.  The other close friend, (Kiori) is the female "friend friend" who as a an observer you as a reader are wondering when (or if) they'll get together.  Theo, Thom, and Kiori, are a trio who are in the middle of the social hierarchy.  There are bullies who are going through their own internal turmoil, and a girl in the class who Theo's attracted to though she's considered out of his league.  As things get stranger for Theo, his parents, Kiori's father (a reverend) and the school guidance counselor worry over him with good reason.  None of us know exactly why order is being hurled out the window, and it's unknown to us if this is what drove the brother to his death.

The division between these interacting realms becomes more unpredictable.  Theo, Kiori, Thom, Dev, and Ange are all transported to Perspecta where the noise from the underworld is getting louder.  They embark on a mission to solve the conflict but don't know where to start.  The Elysian/Nefarian balance in everyone's lives is starting to fall in a state of chaos and members of the What If Mafia play a more persuasive role in the worlds.  Meeting a girl from school on Perspecta (for reasons she can't completely understand), we learn that Theo is a person of exceptional importance in the eyes of Elysian and Nefarian leaders.  Why?  None of us know.  Conflict arises in an Elysian high council that usually acts in a very composed manner.  Treason and connections to the leader of the What if Mafia  come to light.  Theo is told by life forces neither Elysian or Nefarian that he and his friends must evacuate to his world through a transdimennsional gate.  The transportation (a process called "transfersecension") doesn't function completely this time, and the life energies of Dev Ange and Theo are combined into a super-powered Theo.  He takes the fight to the head of the mafia as conflict rises on throughout both worlds.  It is revealed that the powers controlling all Perspecta are contained in one sacred box.  The two lead antagonists greedily fight for this box as Theo, his friends , Ilysians, Nefarious, and other mystical races fight to keep this almighty power from falling into the wrong hands.  The values of Elysia and Nefario, and the survival of both worlds is all at stake.

Tranquility and balance prevails, (as we all should hope), and in a touching moment, we get a glimpse of secret significance that runs in Theo's bloodline.  No.  This surprise ending is something I'm not going to reveal, even as a spoiler.  Most of it isn't even known to us by the end of the book.  This amazing story was meant to be a first VOLUME.  There's more to be told.  In 2013, Mastromauro began to create a Shrugged Volume 2.  Out of the gate, it struggled with critics and in sales.  Continuation of the story remains on hiatus.

I'm writing this lengthy post, not only to gush about a series that explores stones left unturned in conventional comics, but also to inspire readers  to go out and experience this story that Michael Turner an Frank Mastromauro set before us.  Aspen still exists as a testament to Turner's overall creative vision.  Let us be fans, and comics professionals who allow the story of Shrugged to continue.