Jaws Returns in Shark Summer by Ira Marcks

In the many years that I've been a fan of Jaws, I'm still amazed at how often fans have stepped up with their own contributions to the franchise's enduring popularity. I've seen fans produce books, screen-accurate replicas, and even feature-length video tours related to Jaws, productions that Universal would never bother with but nevertheless keep the franchise afloat among the fan community. Adding to this sizable selection of fan-fueled content is Shark Summer, a young adult graphic novel by Ira Marcks that was published in 2021.

I try to keep myself updated on the release of new Jaws content, but I didn't know Shark Summer existed until I saw it at a local bookstore a few weeks ago. Just looking at the cover, which prominently features the word "shark" and Marckus' recreation of Roger Kastle's iconic shark art looming behind the book's main characters, my Jaws junkie impulses kicked in and I bought the graphic novel after quickly flipping through the book's pages to verify that there's a giant shark in it (mechanical or otherwise).

Shark Summer tells the story of teenager Gayle Briar during the summer of 1974, when a production crew arrives in Martha's Vineyard to shoot a movie about a monster shark. With her summer plans sidelined due to a broken arm, Gayle strikes up a friendship with amateur filmmaker Elijah Jones and island history buff Maddie Grey to shoot a documentary in the hopes of winning the cash prize at a film contest. Yet as they proceed to produce their film, Gayle and her friends uncover a local secret that's more monstrous than what Hollywood brought to the island.

Elijah Jones' map of Martha's Vineyard.

Shark Summer is a fun read that's aimed at young adults but can be enjoyed by older readers. It's a moving coming-of-age story that includes a Nancy Drew type of mystery as a sub-plot, with Martha's Vineyard and the production of a yet-to-be blockbuster movie providing the background. For Jaws fans, Marcks drops all sorts of nods (both visually and in the dialogue) to the movie and its production; in fact, the official Shark Summer site has a page devoted to the Jaws references that appear throughout the book. He also effectively uses the history of Martha's Vineyard itself to build the mystery that Gayle and her friends aim to solve. 

Interestingly, for as much as Shark Summer references Jaws, the movie, its cast and crew, and even its studio are never identified in the book by their actual names. In fact, the movie itself is called Shark!, not Jaws. I'm assuming that this was done to avoid any copyright issues with Universal, and Jaws fans will pick up the veiled allusions anyway. Thankfully, the mechanical shark is still named Bruce.

The combination of a poignant story, vivid characters and a rich supply of background details make Shark Summer an entertaining read and a great addition to the collection of any Jaws fan.