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Black Summer #2

By Jason Mott
October 26, 2007 - 21:37

The president’s dead and Warren Ellis’ politically geared superhero story is off and running. After America’s favorite government-sponsored superhero took it upon himself to kill off the president and generally clean house in what he has deemed an evil ruling body, his former teammates begin looking one another up just to survive and keep out of the military’s hands. At the center of it all, Tom Noir struggles to pull himself out of one-legged retirement and choose sides as some of his former teammates support the presidential assassination and the others admonish it. No matter which side they choose, the Army’s out for hero blood.

Warren Ellis’ ultra-political storyline continues to impress and intrigue as the lines that define the role of heroes and everyday citizens continues to blur. With Black Summer, Ellis is taking a long, hard look at exactly what it means to be “good” and how far a duty-bound individual (superhero or otherwise) should go to do what’s “right.” Ellis’ writing is as smooth and cohesive as any reader could want. He bridges the gap between the fantastic world of the superhero and the mundane world of our day to day lives with admirable grace and deftness. If Ellis can maintain the tight pacing and flawless dialogue, he may well be on his way to displaying his greatest story to date.

On pencils, Juan Jose Ryp continues to impress with his colorful, highly-detailed artistic style. Ryp’s got a great eye for pacing and layout. If he’s got any weakness, it may be that he tends to fall into repeating patterns of layout. While I’ll be the first to say that every page doesn’t have to be a wild, zany foray into experimental layout, I’m still willing to go on record as saying that the layout could use a few more changes. But don’t let me mislead you, Juan Jose Ryp is an expert at what he’s doing and he’s helping to make Black Summer a very worthwhile read.

Overall: 4 out of 5. Good steam building here.

Last Updated: January 17, 2025 - 08:20