Going back for seconds.

I've decided to do something a little different this week after realizing that my dropbox contained an awful lot of comic books sent over by Pipedream Comics to check out. Of course, after the rather heavy, somewhat long-winded read of Mister Miracle last week, a bit of variety is certainly a welcome change of pace.

Therefore, with issue 1's and full trades getting plenty of attention over at Pipedream, I decided to do something a little different here and use the gap in my schedule to focus on the issue 2's which had made it into my file. Fortunately, these were all comics I had reviewed the opening issues of and so if made it easy to catch up and get my thoughts ordered easily

So, here are a few thoughts on these various second issues.

Scout's Honor #2 - Aftershock Comics

Issue two of Scout's Honor picked up not long after issue one, as Kit returns to the compound (base?/home?) with a damaged drone her beliefs in question after the revelations of the last issue twist. However, despite Kit's attempt to keep this secret, the past isnt as willing when the compound is attacked and the wounds received hit Kit very close to home.

I thought that this second installment was a much quieter affair than the series opener as David Pepose allowed the new information to sink in and change the entire image of the Ranger Scouts from Kit's perspective. I enjoyed the relationship between Kit and her father as it was fleshed out here, as well as their connection to the Ranger Scouts being explained. As such, I thought it helped solidify the stakes by the end with a fantastic action scene from Luca Casalanguida. It also brought to me some new, more nefarious questions to readers regarding who the Ranger Scouts are and if those responsible at the end were closer to home than was implied.

For me, this issue just reinforces the quality of the first and I have no doubt it will continue to be a strong series as it continues to prepare us for when the finale gets here.

A Picture of Everything Else #2 - Vault Comics

It has been three years since his friend Alphonse accepted the Devil's offer and disappeared with the Englishman and Marcel has given up creating art for critiquing it. However, when Alphonse appears out of the blue to invite his old friend to learn the Englishman's tricks, Marcel finds himself torn between the life he now has and the only way he sees to stop this evil.

This second issue continues with the unsettling atmosphere of the first. However, while the opener seemed to lack a sense of direction and structure, it really felt that Dan Watters had used the time jump to take a breathe here as he hinted at the rules this world operates against and the plan going forward. What I do like is that he also used this break/reset to pretty much deconstruct Marcel's character, fleshing him out and effectively 'bringing him back from the brink'. Meanwhile, Kishore Mohan's masterpiece looking art still looks fantastic and seems even more fitting for the style of story this series is beginning to tell.

As a result the Picture of Everything Else, while arriving on shelves with a strong issue, feels even stronger here too. The intrigue and mystery feel like they have ramped up considerably, making the idea of getting this run in its entirety is a truly devilishly tempting notion for me.

I Walk with Monsters #2 & 3 - Vault Comics

Following on from the series opener, issue 2 delves into Janey's past as her discovery of a familiar face brings back painful memories of the beginnings of the journey she is now. Meanwhile, issue 3 reveals some of David's secrets as he and Janey plan for what comes next.

Paul Cornell continued this incredibly heavy story by really fleshing out his lead characters, all the while as they prepare for the finale. As I read the first issue I had thought of both Janey and David as monsters in their own right and that certainly seems to be the case with these issues, even though their respective transformations are so tragic. As a result, while they still come off as abrasive (especially Janey) the pain I felt for her certainly had me hooked on seeing her success.

Sally Cantirino's art, meanwhile, still looks fabulous and perfect for this story as it's picturesque background seem to give way aesthetically to the ugliness that the subject matter seems to bleed across it. This is especially the case with the reveal of the big bad, where an apparent graffiti art really makes this character far more sinister.

With this series, as I reach the halfway point (because it was issue 2 AND 3), I'm totally hooked on seeing these characters get their just desserts (which i certainly feel will be the case for all). While issue 1 had me intrigued, the more I read means the more i have to read.

Oh, and before I forget ...

While the lion's share of my reading was certainly second issues, I still had time for a first as I had a review go up on Pipedream Comics for Snow Angels #1, a new Comixology Originals comic by Jeff Lemire and Jock. Now, as the review kind of implies, I really enjoyed this issue. Lemire has left me with a lot of questions at the end of this, offering very little information I think, but in a captivating way. I think the characters arent fully fleshed out here but I think that is less of a negative than you'd think because it adds to the intrigue and has made think more about their respective futures.

It's been a while since I've seen Jock's art but this stuff is really gorgeous. It looks like Jock's work but doesn't as well (if that makes sense) as it still has his roughness to it but the pencils seem softer somehow, which sells me in this white world that makes me think of the cover to Rucka's Whiteout.

Given that this is Lemire, maybe I'm being biased after reading his run on Green Arrow and Sentient (well, the first issue) but I'm already really hooked on the concept of Snow Angels and think this might make the top 50 this year on this issue alone.

And finally, after recently sending in my own submission, the the winning entrants  Soda and Telepaths' Producing the End of the World Anthology were revealed. Sadly, my name was not amongst the fortunate but, i wanted to just quickly say congrats to all whose names will be a part of this comic which, given the list of talent who did make the cut, I look forward to seeing the end result of.

Anyway, that's another week done and with it another chance to check out some comics I usually dont get the chance to continue post review (at least not until their trade is released). Fortunately, this has been a week of reads to remind me that a lot of what I review is definitely worth my time.