That Salty Air

[MattGrant]

<img src="http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog/covers/thatsaltyair1_lg.jpg" height="200" align=left hspace=10 >
Title: That Salty Air
Publisher Name: Top Shelf Productions
Artist/Writer: Tim Sievert
B/W, 112 pages, 6 1/2" x 9" $10.00

Safety Content Label: T+ TEENS AND UP - Appropriate for most readers 13 and up, parents are advised that they might want to read before or with younger children.

Publishers Blurb:
Top Shelf is proud to present the debut graphic novel from talented newcomer, Tim Sievert. … Hugh is a fisherman with a special relationship to the sea, a relationship based on respect and reverence. But when Hugh feels that the sea has betrayed him, his whole existence is thrown out of whack. Hell-bent on settling the score, Hugh takes his revenge to the extreme, jeopardizing not only himself, but also his family in the process. THAT SALTY AIR is a story about change and learning the price for trifling with the natural progression of things.

Reviewer Comments:
<i>That Salty Air</i> is an atmospheric, nautical tale about a man and his relationship with the sea. Hugh is a fisherman who loves nothing more than the sea, but when his mother drowns, his love turns to hate, as he seeks revenge against the the sea.

Almost sounds like an odd premise, but, in fact, it's very well done. Particularly with the art, Sievert creates an atmospheric world of the lone house on the sea, a world that the fisherman loves. His depiction of the sea, "personified" (or perhaps more correctly "squidified') by a giant squid, is even more beautiful. It's easy to get lost in his silent depictions of undersea life, that almost become the dialog of the sea itself. The story is compelling, and at times heart wrenching, and overall Sievert has created a really good reading experience.