Image Comics 2020
Written by Keiron Gillen & Jim Rossignol
Illustrated by Jeff Stokely
Coloured by Tamra Bonvillain
Lettered by Clayton Cowles
How could we follow the startling first issue of LUDOCRATS? With issue two. Sometimes it doesn't pay to overthink these things. Herein, stuff of a ludicrous and oft entertaining character happens.
After last issues over the top extravagant eleganza I wasn’t so sure what this issue was going to be like. However, placing faith in this creative team is easy and yet I was still surprised as hell with how well this issue went. Kudos for taking this and dialing it the way that it was done and creating something that well is exactly what we wanted to see while still remaining completely extra at times. That this turned into an incredibly strong issue for reasons that do not pertain to the first issue is pure gold.
The way that this is being told is fantastic. The story & plot development that we see though the way the sequence of events unfold and as well as how the reader learns information is extremely well done. I like how the actions we see the characters taking and more importantly which ones are undertaking the quest to free his lost love is being presented. The character development we see is super strong and how that’s determined by the circumstances and situations that arise is extremely nice to see. We get a huge look at the characters in this issue and it completely changes my opinion on some and that’s precisely what it is supposed to be doing. The pacing is impeccable and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists and turns and how everything we see working together helps create the ebb & flow.
I applauded the out of the box thinking that we saw in the last issue and how we see that continuing this issue is just outstanding. There is something about this that when you just accept the absurdity for what it is, let go and enjoy it that you have one of the best experiences you are going to have. The untold amount of laughter that ensues page after page really does make this one of those hidden gems. Right now with the U.S. government feeling as it’s a Ludocracy it’s easy to see how this actually is relatable to.
The interiors here have a great all-ages Saturday Morning cartoon quality to them that belies the actual subject matter. So while I wish there were more attention to detail what we do see is extremely impressive, expressive and all around adds to the joyful glee that we experience reading this. There is a really great imagination and creativity in what we see and that they are brought to life like they are is utterly delightful. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a sensational eye for storytelling. The colour is superb and how we see these bright bold colours and the hues and tones within them utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work.
I cannot rave enough about this book. It came out of nowhere and lit up my horizon in ways I wasn’t expecting or prepared for. This is wacky fun in the tradition of Adult Swim. So if this sounds like it'll be a good fit for you then you are probably right