SHIFT is a werewolf-themed zine put together by Sarah Mason, Sketchbook and FeatheryFlukes featuring 18 artists. I pledged on Kickstarter to get a physical copy as a collector’s item, but PDFs are still available. At A5 size, it’s small but packed with skilled imagery – a perfect haiku of lycanthropic goodness.
Each artist gets a two-page spread, and the imagery ranges from cartoony and cute to vicious and gory to abstract and eerie. Particular favorites are WolfSkullJack’s wild-maned, fiercely snarling figure in stark red, grey and black, Mx. Morgan G. Roble’s frenzied pack with their tortured expressions and exposed rib cages, and Dominique Ramsey’s colorful, vividly stylized beast who has a complete nighttime woods incorporated into its fur.
Honestly, there’s not a single dud in the bunch, and you’re certain to find something to your taste. My only critique is that all the werewolves adhere to the basic design of fully lupine head, legs, tail and fur, and human torso and arms. It would have been nice to see more variety, anything from feral monster quadrupeds to more humanoid, or more depictions of transformation, otherwise, it risks being indistinguishable from furry art.
This was the first venture for the Werewolf Collaborative, and as it was a howling success, I’m looking forward to more volumes from them in the future.