Image Comics 2015
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by Steve Skroce
Coloured by Matt Hollingsworth
I’m sucker for this style of artwork many of you know this by now. So seeing Steve be able to bring such an absolute incredible amount of detail to each panel on each page is truly not only a joy to see but also showcases his mad skill and talent. The realness and authentic look he gives each character, the attention to backgrounds like the house’s wallpaper and furniture and such in the opening to the trees and falling snow leading to the giant robot and the resistance headquarters we see so much here but nothing overwhelms or distracts you from what is important.
Brian introduced us to this series in a spectacular way in last month’s issue number one and he’s not slowing down here any either. With the reveal that these folks have their own huge mobile armament robot type thing and how they explain why it can move about basically unseen shows us how Brian is able to think through a story and bring us these plausible reasons and explanations that kind of make it more real and kind of more scary.
I found it incredibly illuminating to see the interrogation of Mr. Pittiulak by the mysterious hard core U.S. official. She’s completely caught up in a stereotype of what some people fear we could become or think of government agents as that it adds to this frustration during reading it as well as bringing a healthy amount of fear and understanding as to why the Canadian resistance is so determined.
Amber has found herself caught up in something so much bigger than she ever could have dreamed possible. After losing her brother, who was captured, and surviving so long on her own and after her actions last issue she’s still not trusted yet. It’s easy to understand why when your enemy is as ruthless as we see them depicted but she’s more than determined to prove herself and become a valued member of this team.
The shower scene is a wonderful example of how the trust here works and how little she knows about these people. Dunn is a great character and his crywolf, half coyote half wolf see the issue for why/how that comes about, talking to Amber about what they used to be is a tender moment and I love that he was married, still considers himself married, but his husband was killed in the Battle of Brunswick. It makes him more human, less aloof and a lot more identifiable with and gives you that something you need to understand why he does what he’s doing.
So things are happening fast and furious here and the team may be in a lot more trouble than we thought would occur this soon. It does make me excited to see how Amber will rise up and become something of a hero for these people. Still you couldn’t find a better or more interesting way to end the second issue.
This is an exciting new fresh look at something that we really haven’t seen before. Fast paced and gorgeously rendered this is a must read series.