KAIJU SCORE: STEAL FROM THE GODS #3 hits your local comic book store June 22nd, but thanks to AfterShock Comics, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive four-page preview for you.
About the issue: Michelle and her crew are about to go into the belly of the beast, and that’s not just a metaphor. But are they ready for a job that has no margin for error? And even if they are, the true nature of the score is about to be revealed, and not all of them are going to make it out of this issue alive. Take your blood pressure pills for the tense third chapter of KAIJU SCORE: STEAL FROM THE GODS.
The series is by writer James Patrick and artist Rem Broo, with colors by Francesco Segala, and letters by Dave Sharpe. The cover is by Broo.
Check out the KAIJU SCORE: STEAL FROM THE GODS #3 preview below:
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Writer Tini Howard (Excalibur, Catwoman) and artist Bob Quinn (Way Of X) are back with another chapter of Mutants in the land of Arthurian legend in Knights Of X #2. Featuring colors by Erick Arciniega and lettering from Ariana Maher, this issue sends our mutant knights into open combat against their foes for the sake of struggling mutants in Otherworld in a dazzling and immensely entertaining issue. With an exciting, sharp script and outstanding visuals, this is a comic for fans of readers who like a little medieval fantasy with their X-Men.
“THE QUEST REVEALED! Betsy Braddock has assembled her Knights of X! Their mission: to save Otherworld from Merlyn and his powerful henchmen…by finding the holy grail of mutantkind. But Otherworld is vast, and innumerable armies stand in their way. When Merlyn targets the Crooked Market, a safe haven for mutantkind, the Knights must split up. Will Captain Britain find the grail? Will Gambit lead the others into a deadly trap? Death looms over the Knights — in more ways than one.”
Writing & Plot
Tini Howard splits up her mutant knights into two plot threads for Knights Of X #2. One team is led by Gambit, investigating Merlyn’s offensive against the Crooked Market and aiding the struggling mutants hiding there. The other is led by Betsy Braddock – aka Captain Britain – to bust some allies out of a prison. This entire issue is a rollicking ride of mutant magic and intense action. Howard carefully weaves clever dialogue through titanic battle sequences to keep the story’s focus on character above all else. Outside of the big action moments are quiet, often sweet character moments of our heroes showing their true selves. Gambit is, unsurprisingly, a big old softie when it comes to kids. Mordred? Very polite, even when being overwhelmed by enemy forces. Rictor and Shatterstar? Adorable, you love to see it. Howard gives readers great character moments while building a story that matters and kicks ass. She also makes it abundantly clear that Braddock and her Knights are effectively on their own for this mission. They’re cut off from Krakoa and their loved ones/fellow mutants, making the stakes higher while also cementing Knights as very much its own story in a larger whole. The story here may not be the most consequential of X-books, but it’s still one more than worth a read.
Art Direction
This entire era of X-Men comics has been gifted with incredible visual work, and Knights Of X #2 is no exception. Bob Quinn draws these medieval-fantasy mutants with a stunning attention to detail and fantastic animations. His work here is noticeably heavier on inks than most other Krakoa-era X-comics. This detail actually helps set this comic’s world apart from that of the rest of the current X-books. This world of fantasy and “witchbreed magic” doesn’t have the bright utopian sheen of Krakoa. This touch is proven even more effective when it contrasts with the bright powers and costumes of the Knights themselves. Quinn’s shimmering displays of mutant energy and sleek takes of classic costumes are the booming centers of attention for the reader – and beacons of hope for the denizens of Otherworld. There is often quite a lot happening on these pages, so it’s fortunate too that Quinn’s page composition is generally very solid. Events are easy to follow and intelligently laid out depending on how he wants certain details and events to impact. There are a couple moments where it can be difficult to figure out who’s talking, with so many characters often occupying a single panel. Regardless, Quinn’s work here is immensely impressive.
The colors from Erick Arciniega are vivid and varied, bringing a high fidelity sheen to this comic that has come to be expected from the current run of X-books. Arciniega uses a perfect selection of darker hues to match the inks, and his choices really sell the atmosphere of this different breed of X-comic. The lettering by Ariana Maher is solid, as she utilizes the same font and style as the other X-comics of the Krakoa era. Her work here almost disappears into the reading experience, with cool SFX lettering and dynamic speech fonts. Overall, Knights is as gorgeous a book as one would come to expect from the Krakoa era.
Verdict
Knights Of X #2 is a thoroughly entertaining and compelling comic. Tini Howard’s script is a perfect blend of sweet character moments, humor, and stellar action. The visuals from Bob Quinn and Erick Arciniega are beautifully animated and atmospheric, crafting a unique visual experience within the larger X-Men world. Be sure to grab this issue when it hits shelves on June 1st!
Last month a new run on Amazing Spider-Man began. This series, with a new creative team and a new direction, seems to have a time jump. As readers, we don’t get all the details about what has happened. Zeb Wells worked on the previous run, so there is some continuity in the writing department. John Romita Jr is the artist for this series. He’s joined by Scott Hanna on inks, Marcio Menyz on colors and Joe Caramagna on letters.
WRITING
What works best for Zeb Wells in this issue are his character interactions. Wells starts us off with a conversation between Peter and Norman Osborn. Norman is still sane at this point and offering Peter a hand. It’s interesting to see the man Norman could have been if he never turned into the Green Goblin. Tombstone has an almost heartwarming conversation with his Daughter Janice. One thing Wells and other writers have tried to hammer home in their last series is that Tombstone loves his daughter. Wells also shows us that Tombstone does not plan on being as affectionate with his enemies. We’re going to see a Tombstone who is ready to get his hands dirty. A special shout-out for using the White Rabbit for this series too. She’s an underused character with good potential. Amazing Spider-Man #2 continues to build on the mystery of what Peter did while solidifying the villains in the story.
ART
Romita Jr. is the artist who lays down the pencils for this issue. His work at times feels very boxy. In this issue, character faces seem a little misshapen. After that small criticism, Romita Jr. does turn in one of his better performances. Helped out by Scott Hanna on inks, Romita Jr. puts down pencils lines on for Norman Osborn and Hanna smooths them out. Hanna also uses hatching and minor cross hatching on characters to help provide detail. Tombstone is a character that receives a lot of that shading and hatching. This also makes it look like he’s taking a more villainous turn.
The colors by Marcio Menyz work well with Romita Jr.’s pencils. Menyz uses a lighter color palette. Things like Peter wearing a blue shirt don’t leap off the page at you, but they are colorful enough to draw your attention. There is a lot of shading in this issue, especially in panels where Tombstone talks to his daughter. Menyz uses dark backgrounds in these panels. This allows the white from Tombstone to stand out further.
Letters by Joe Caramagna matter here. Something as simple as a Tombstone’s word balloons being puffed out allows us to read his voice as gruff or scruffy. When a character gets excited, which happens a couple of times in this issue, Caramagna does an excellent job of using exaggerated fonts. Sometimes the letters extend outside the word balloon, like when Peter is yelling at Norman.
CONCLUSION
Amazing Spider-Man #2 is a good issue that builds off of the previous one. As a reader, we still don’t know what Peter did to make everyone in his life so mad at him, but that is part of the mystery of this issue. Zeb Wells writes a fun Peter who is down on his luck, but very relatable. The pencils had their hiccups, but ultimately work. Amazing Spider-Man #2 is available at a comic shop near you!
Comics are uniquely suited to spectacle. Their stillness gives you time to drink in feats of daring. It lets colorful, distinct outfits shine. In America, comics gave us superheroes – costume-clad circus performers starring in crime serials. While Japan’s approach to superpowered spectacle gave us multi-million-selling mega-hits like Dragon Ball and One Piece. It’s part of why comics have become the backbone of today’s bombastic Hollywood blockbusters. Tokyo Interstellar Immigration by Mado Guchimoto takes influence from quite a few of those blockbusters. But it also stands to remind everyone what comics do best.
Tokyo Interstellar Immigration follows young secret agents Lein and Ann who work for the titular Interstellar Immigration Bureau. Think a sort of Men in Black-ish clandestine organization who investigate hostile space aliens on earth and wipe the minds of any chance observers. But Lein’s motivations for helping the Bureau are tied to her criminal mentor, Hein, who the organization is keeping in a tightly locked cell. The two thieves have entered a weary truce with the Bureau, helping with investigations in exchange for information on a mysterious past tragedy. Ann, meanwhile, is a gigantic beast contained in human disguise, only able to speak in brief fragments. So don’t expect Lein or Ann to be terribly professional. But they’ll get the job done, minus one or two city blocks.
In the manga’s afterword, author Mado Guchimoto expresses love for Hollywood sci-fi spectacles, ranging from Blade Runner and the Matrix to Battleship and Chappie. Unabashedly big-budget, flashy, tech-heavy movies. But the stillness of comics lends itself to a kind of showmanship that’s even denser. Expect lots of spreads crammed with various alien designs and techno-organic machinery. Some communicate psychedelic landscapes through intricate, symmetrical patterns. Glossaries at the back of each arc cram in information that couldn’t fit on the pages themselves, like explanations for how intersections between dimensions work, or that a species of cabbage-like aliens show status by how many doors their minifridges have. It’s a lot, and a few pages might end up reread in an attempt to get a firm handle on it all. This is Guchimoto’s professional debut, and so it shows the kind of hungry, throw everything at the wall approach you’ll find in many early works. But that’s an approach well suited for comics, where pages can be slowly read or reread at the reader’s pace. And it’s easy to get swept along when everything looks this damn stylish.
To help keep track of who’s speaking through all the chaos, each character is given their own shape of speech bubble. Lein’s mentor Hein communicates through a speaker, rendered in sharp, square, bubbles, while Ann speaks in spiky, uneven bubbles. One-off characters are given more playful variations. A bookstore owner speaks in book-shaped bubbles, a locksmith’s are shaped like a keyhole. But the dialogue, translated by Andrew Hodgson, doesn’t slack in giving the main trio distinct voices, either. Lein has a sarcastic deadpan tone, Hein is ornery and a bit playful, while Ann… well, speaks like the Hulk. They’re fun characters to read, and help keep the comic anchored through all the dizzying spectacle.
Letterer Kalvin Travis also does an excellent job rendering the sound effects littered throughout the comic in English, from spiky “chomps” to pulsating “tha-thumps.” Some even weave in and out of the art like physical objects. It must’ve been quite a pain to redraw the many, many SFX, but the effort shines through.
Tokyo Interstellar Immigration is loud. The character designs are loud, the action is bombastic and in-your-face, and the many aliens equally intricate and grotesque. But there’s a confident showmanship to it all, a joy to overloading the viewer with information. If this book were a song, it’d be the kind I wouldn’t mind blowing my eardrums out to. Tokyo Interstellar Immigration is currently available on Kindle, with a physical release to eventually follow.
Image Comics’ Step By Bloody Step is a miracle of storytelling. Not only does it draw you into a strange new world without uttering a single word, but it also dares to be deeply complex despite its silent approach. Writer Si Spurrier, artist Matias Bergara, and colorist Matheus Lopes are, quite simply, showing off.
Story
Spurrier’s story for this series is strange, intricate, and refreshingly simple all at once. Much of Step By Bloody Stepwas merely some kind of pilgrimage. The two main characters, the girl and her armored protector, were traveling through bizarre landscapes on their way to… well, something! The armored giant’s tireless trudge onward was all we needed to see to know that whatever they were traveling towards was important. And in Step By Bloody Step #4, we begin to understand their quest in more detail.
At one point, Spurrier almost seems to be implementing a Deus Ex Machina. It appears that everything just magically gets better for the characters. But as the issue closes, Spurrier brings the magic back in, explaining its purpose in the story and showing that it isn’t just a “fix” in the narrative. Spurrier practically plays jump rope with the rules, showing that he knows what they are by walking right up to the line and no further. And when all is said and done, this story is about its characters. They’re the reason for everything – the magic and the mayhem. You’ll wince as you turn the final page, not quite ready to say goodbye to them.
Art
Bergara’s work is on another level. He often uses very clear visual storytelling to communicate each beat of a page. You’ll see the girl reach into her pocket, pull out berries, throw them over to some wild animals, and then you’ll see the animals fight over the berries. It’s a clear cause and effect that leads one panel into the next. But elsewhere, Bergara plays things closer to the vest. As the girl trudges through the snow, fighting against strong winds, there are blurry images in the background that tell us the significance of what the girl is doing. But it takes a couple read throughs to grasp the full weight of the moment – to see the subtle tapestry Bergara is weaving. These pages are probably the most complex part of the issue, but instead of spelling it out for us, Bergara gives us room to work, to interpret, to be active readers. It makes that “Aha!” moment all the more satisfying when it comes.
For much of this issue, the girl is the only strong source of color. The snow capped peaks that she journeys through, Lopes colors in light blues and dark blacks. But the girl is in a bright pink dress. “Bright” might not be quite the right word though. The dress fades as the issue progresses, a kind of representation of the girl’s fading faith. But when things really look bleak, she responds in vibrant anger that lights up panels in red and yellow. Even her face begins to turn red. And her hike through the snow evolves into a mesmerizing lightshow. Lopes pulls the cork out of the bottle and splashes color all over the page. It’s hypnotic, beautiful, and perfect for the fantastical nature of the scene.
Verdict
Step By Bloody Step is something you’ll have to see to believe. The omission of words in the narrative makes the story feel deeply emotional. It communicates on a primal level, speaking to your heart and soul before introducing itself to your mind. And while much of the series dealt with simple concepts, this issue managed to get complicated without skipping a beat. Pick up Step By Bloody Step #4, out from Image Comics June 1st, at your local comic shop. You definitely don’t want to miss it!
Derry Girls has come to an end. It has been quite a ride with the Irish girls and the Wee English Fella. This season sees them go out with six episodes and an hour-long special.
The Derry Girls continue with their usual array of misadventures: breaking into their school to get their GCSE results, spending a night at a creepy house in Donegal, and trying to get tickets for Fat Boy Slim’s gig at Derry’s Halloween Festival. All this goes along as the Peace Process makes massive strides.
The entire show of Derry Girls has been a surprise hit. It was a small sitcom from Northern Ireland that gained a fanbase around the world thanks to Netflix. The impact has been so great that The Simpsons paid tribute to the show in the episode “You Won’t Believe What This Episode Is About – Act Three Will Shock You!” and a mural of the characters has been painted in Derry city center. As such, the final season was able to get some massive guest stars. The third season was highly anticipated, and it was a fitting conclusion to the series. The hour-long special was funny and emotional. However, the road to this glorious end was bumpy at the beginning. The first and third episodes of Season Three were the weakest the series has had to offer. These episodes suffered from characterization issues. In “The Night Before” the gang acted surprisingly stupid because they unwillingly helped in an obvious burglary and in “Strangers on a Train” Orla’s ditzy actions went from charmingly cute to recklessly dangerous.
“The Affair” was the delicious filling sandwiched between dry bread. It was a much stronger episode because it saw the gang getting to perform as a popular girl band just as they suspected Erin’s mum may be having an affair with the sexy plumber. Jamie-Lee O’Donnell was hilarious as she acted as a mini-dictator and Saoirse-Monica Jackson got to flex her dramatic muscles because of Erin’s upset about her mother’s potential affair. “Strangers on a Train” suffered from Nicola Coughlan’s scheduling issues with Bridgeton as well, because she separated from the rest of the cast. Clare had to hang around at Londonderry train station and had an awkward encounter with Sister Michael. Clare’s separation took away the major appeal of the show: the group’s dynamic with each other.
Season Three did improve as it progressed. The episodes towards the end of the season ramped up the drama and emotion. “The Haunting” started this trend when two characters revealed their feelings for each other and the sixth episode, “Halloween” had the most somber end for a Derry Girls episode.
The moms had a spotlight episode with “The Reunion.” That episode showed the moms go to their school reunion and fear an old secret getting exposed. The casting team deserves a lot of praise for finding actors to play the younger versions of the mothers. The younger characters shared some of their daughters’ basic traits, like Orla’s ditziness and Michelle’s brash personality. However, the actors and McGee ensured the teenage version of the moms weren’t copies of their daughters. There were some differences, like Michelle’s mom was a teenage punk rocker.
Claire’s spotlight episode was “Halloween,” the penultimate episode of the series. That episode gave Claire the prospect of love. The wee lesbian finally gets a potential romantic partner, and it gave the gang more incentive to get tickets for the Fat Boy Slim gig. Yet Claire’s hope for happiness faces a massive hurdle at the end of that episode.
Erin, Michelle, and James’ dynamic was one of the main focuses of the season. It started small when Michelle and Erin were arguing during their dance rehearsals in “The Affair.” It grew in “The Haunting” and a new piece of information could affect their friendship.
The focus of the final episode was about Erin and Michelle having a falling out due to one of the potential actions of the Good Friday Agreement. This trio were friends, but they had an added complication due to Michelle and James being related, so had to stay loyal to each other, no matter how close they were to Erin. DerryGirls’ finale will be remembered as one of the best of its era. It centered on the Good Friday Agreement which was a fitting way to end the series. It completed the gang’s coming-of-age and Northern Ireland’s long and hard-fought struggle for peace. The final few minutes beautifully summed these themes up.
The third season of Derry Girls did have a rough start because “The Night Before” and “Strangers on a Train” were the weakest episodes the series has to offer. Fortunately, the season improved as it progressed, and the finale fired on all cylinders.
Yahtzee Croshaw, creator of the ZERO PUNCTUATION gaming review series, returns with his sixth novel at Dark Horse Comics: EXISTENTIALLY CHALLENGED, the much anticipated sequel to DIFFERENTLY MORPHEOUS!
Originally released as an audiobook, EXISTENTIALLY CHALLENGED will be available in bookstores on January 17, 2023, and at comic stores on January 18, 2023, with a new cover by Ethan Kimberling.
About the novel: With magic declassified in the UK, fake psychics and fraudulent healers are running amok, so it’s up to the Department of Extradimensional Affairs’ newly appointed Skepticism Officers to crack down on them. But when they set their sights on Modern Miracle, a highly suspicious and fast-growing faith healing cult with remarkably good social media presence, even their skepticism is put to the test.
Is Modern Miracle on the level? Is Miracle Meg’s healing magic real? Why do dead bodies keep showing up on their doorstep? And just what is Miracle Dad’s preferred flavor of crisp?
Of EXISTENTIALLY CHALLENGED, Croshaw said, “I always like to start a story from a question, and in the case of Existentially Challenged, it was, ‘How would people feel about the church in a world where magic has suddenly turned out to be real?’ From there, things took a few turns. I hope you like it, as I have big plans for the ongoing DEDA series. Differently Morphous was the boulder placed on top of a snowy hill, and now we’re kicking it down the slope.”
Are you looking forward to EXISTENTIALLY CHALLENGED? What is your favorite Yahtzee Croshaw novel? Sound off in the comments!
From legendary series creator Mike Mignola and writer & artist Oliver Vatine comes a blast of a one-shot in the form of Hellboy And The B.P.R.D: Night Of The Cyclops. Featuring letters by Clem Robins, this Hellboy tale takes us into the realm of Greek mythology for one of the most fun one-shots in this universe in recent memory.
“Just as he finishes up one job in Greece, Hellboy is detoured into another adventure by . . . a goat? Join Hellboy in a strange hidden land of treachery and togas as he takes on the wrath of a jealous god.”
Writing & Plot
Mignola teams up with another great storyteller in Oliver Vatine to tell the kind of memorable tale that makes this universe so enjoyable in Hellboy And The B.P.R.D: Night Of The Cyclops. This one-shot sees ‘Big Red’ accidentally discovering a new adventure in Greece after fighting a monster with the B.P.R.D. He decides to follow a talking goat (typical Hellboy stuff) to a mysterious and forgotten land placed under a curse by a jealous Greek god. The rest is a funny and witty blast of a comic book, with swingin’ action and a little cutesy romance. Plot wise, it’s what one may expect from a Hellboy comic. Nothing here will be all that surprising, but the execution is what matters. Every element of this issue’s plot feels like a pulp adventure, from discovering this hidden land to the big exposition-y bit and the big heroic battle. Mignola and Vatine’s dialogue is clever and funny, with Hellboy doling out quips and one-liners in his usual gruff fashion. One of the plot elements, involving the jealous god’s son, feels a bit out of place compared to the tightness of the rest of the comic. However this is a minor nitpick, as this book is so fun that it completely overshadows this little inconsistency. Night Of The Cyclops is one of the most fun one-shots in this universe in recent memory.
Art Direction
The Hellboy universe is most known for its iconic visual style, and Oliver Vatine ranks among the best to utilize that style in Hellboy And The B.P.R.D: Night Of The Cyclops. His pencils mimic the signature style created by Mignola while still very much retaining his own aesthetic. His color work however is much brighter than the average Hellboy comic, and it helps craft this comic’s Ancient Greek aesthetic. Vatine’s designs for the mythical beings that show up are obviously based on mythical Greek creatures. The satyrs and the titular cyclops, and even the God that shows up are all easily identifiable (the cyclops for obvious reasons) but are crafted in a way that convincingly makes them look like a part of this universe. Vatine’s compositions carry that methodical style of the rest of the Mignolaverse comics. Every panel feels deliberate and full of weight, making the major plot developments all the more impressive. This carries over to the action scenes, which all pack a huge punch that matches both the pulp-feel of the comic and HB’s traditional “red right hand” swings. Clem Robins utilizes the same font style used in the rest of the Hellboy universe, and one again crafts a stellar reading experience with it. He uses that hand-drawn feel to make fonts that reflexively change with tense along with this series’ now iconic SFX style to blend in with the rest of the art. Overall, Night Of The Cyclops is one of the most unique and stellar looking Hellboy comics one could stumble upon.
Verdict
Hellboy And The B.P.R.D: Night Of The Cyclops is a fun and excellent one-shot that stands out in a series of great one-shots. Mike Mignola and Oliver Vatine craft a familiar story molded from Greek myth but with the humor and pulpy mystery & action we expect from a Hellboy book. Vatine’s artwork is stunning, with his stellar designs, weighted action, and bright colors making one of the best looking books in this universe in recent memory. Be sure to grab this fantastic one-shot when it hits shelves on May 25th!
CLEAR #6 drops on ComiXology May 31st, but thanks to the digital publisher, Monkeys Fighting Robots has an exclusive six-page preview for our readers. The book is written by Scott Snyder, with art and colors by Francis Manapul, and you will read Andworld Design’s letter work.
About CLEAR:
Welcome to the future, a world where people can connect to the internet neurologically and mediate the real world through the lenses of their eyes, transforming reality. Everything can be skinned to fit a preference from steampunk to old fashioned Hollywood glamour. If you can name it, you can live it. You choose how you see the world and no one else knows what you’re seeing.
San Francisco, private detective Sam Dunes is working a case when he’s approached by his former police partner, who informs him of his ex-wife’s alleged suicide. But nothing about this adds up. And when he receives a gift in the mail, Dunes finds himself pulled into a wild and twisting mystery that stretches from the city’s deadly underworld to the even deadlier heights of the city’s wealthy and powerful elite.
The last issue of X-Men Red ended by creating a new team of mutants. With the second issue, we see that Agent Brand is forming her own crew. Al Ewing has a good name at Marvel comics. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t love his run on ImmortalHulk. Ewing has also worked his magic when he joined the X-universe with S.W.O.R.D. He’s joined on this issue by Stefano Caselli on pencils, Federico Blee on colors and letters by Cory Petit.
WRITING
Al Ewing starts off this issue with a flashback to something Jonathan Hickman did in his X-Men run. Vulcan struggling with his anger and the fire inside him is a plot point that was touched on by Hickman and hasn’t been expanded on until this issue. Ewing shows us that Vulcan has kept his cool in the past, the fire is overtaking him and it’s uncontrollable. The most interesting thing about this issue is that Ewing gives us Abigail Brand’s X-Men team. This consists of shady mutants who have fought on both sides before. The team is led by Cable, who is also no stranger to controversy. Ewing produces a nice balance of social commentary and action in X-Men Red. We witness the Arakii people wanting to fight for themselves and get upset when Brand’s team attempts to help them. This plot point works on many levels but is good to see the parallels to today’s society.
ART
The pencils by Stefano Caselli stand out this issue. The panels where Brand and Manifold argue feel very close and intimate. This works because Caselli uses many close-up panels to show the different emotions that Manifold is going through. Brand’s face and emotion remains unchanged, which says a lot about her. The Arakii villagers have a good look to them. Caselli draws them almost creepily. We’re so used to seeing most of our heroes looking like they can pass for normal in this book, but Caselli does a great job of showing us mutants that don’t have that benefit. Caselli is at his best this issue when he is drawing a lot of emotion on character faces. Vulcan is an excellent example of this because he’s a conflicted character. Caselli shows us a Vulcan who has rage inside of him through all the emotions we see building in him this issue. The pencils for X-Men Red #2 are top-notch and will only continue to get better with Caselli.
The colors are extremely important in a major book like this. Federico Blee is a professional who knows how to liven up a page. Things as simple as the glow from a blue cube shining on Arakii residents is made infinitely better with Blee’s experience. X-Men Red is an appropriate title for this series since red is a color that is used a lot in this issue. When Vulcan rages, Blee uses red to signify this. Blee gives Mars a gorgeous red background. Of course, Vulcan also has red on his costume. In the color world, red is considered a hot color. This makes sense that a hot-tempered character like Vulcan would be surrounded by red.
The letters by Cory Petit are effective and useful. As Vulcan and Storm tangle in a battle, Vulcan unleashes some energy. Petit places a “Kra-Kroom” perfectly on the right side of the panel. It’s lined up with the energy being released from Vulcan’s body. As Cable loads his gun, a “click-clak” is over the gun as it’s being loaded. There are panels that are dialogue-heavy, but Petit makes sure to not have any of the word balloons cover the faces of the characters in the panel.
CONCLUSION
X-Men Red #2 adds more character development and plot to an already strong story. Al Ewing has been building to some of these events since his work on S.W.O.R.D. The pencils by Stefano Caselli are near flawless and get better with every issue. X-Men Red #2 is on sale at a comic shop near you.
The third season was highly anticipated, and it was a fitting conclusion to the series. The hour-long special was funny and emotional. However, the road to this glorious end was bumpy at the beginning. The first and third episodes of Season Three were the weakest the series has had to offer. These episodes suffered from characterization issues. In “The Night Before” the gang acted surprisingly stupid because they unwillingly helped in an obvious burglary and in “Strangers on a Train” Orla’s ditzy actions went from charmingly cute to recklessly dangerous.
“Strangers on a Train” suffered from Nicola Coughlan’s scheduling issues with Bridgeton as well, because she separated from the rest of the cast. Clare had to hang around at Londonderry train station and had an awkward encounter with Sister Michael. Clare’s separation took away the major appeal of the show: the group’s dynamic with each other.
