Honor #2 is better than the first issue in a lot of ways. There are some reveals to the world within the issue and it doesn’t hang out nearly as much. It’s actually a busy issue as it connects to Medic #2 and really the world of Chief McClelland who is seen throughout the shared universe. The opening is very interesting. We learn a lot about the zombies/undead in this issue and Dedication. Here we see the couple that was injured by the tractor going way to fast in the first issue. They’re walking around in their medic gowns with other apparent undeads. What we learn is that they’re functioning like a hive mind. They see a car and like a game of telephone it spreads until they stop the car and attack the man inside.
On the Chief’s side we have a quick scene that’s not worth summing up and then he and his deputy head over to the campus hospital to crossover into Medic #2 and the morgue situation we saw in Medic #1.
Overall, the reveals are good. I liked the zombie hive mind, hell I don’t even know if I should be calling them zombies any more. I feel like there are different categories going on right now and that we just don’t have enough information to analyze it yet. Which is fitting considering the characters in the world are in the same boat.
I didn’t like the continuation of the Deputy’s story in this issue. Every other comic that did this, did it successfully. Not here. The reason being that the time line is different. More time has passed so it doesn’t make much sense for this story to continue on. That and I don’t personally find it all that interesting. It still feels like the deputy is a one-dimensional character and so I’d rather her do more than just tell a story.
The art takes a step back unfortunately. It’s not bad, but there is one panel that is a massive two-page splash and it’s so empty and boring looking that I don’t understand why they’d do that. I think they were trying to build some tension, but it didn’t work out. It just looks like a zoomed in panel. The deputy looks a lot better in this issue. I will say that the character designs have improved. Last issue, she didn’t have any facial features at times and it was distracting (she still doesn’t in Soul #2, which is unfortunate).
It’s a decent issue. Again, the reveals and action keep it from being below average, but it still seems like it’s struggling with its identity in this universe. The Chief is in so many titles that his own title ends up feeling a bit hollow and his deputy is a hollow character that really should have some personality by now with as many crossovers as she’s had. I’ll stick with the book for another issue, but this series continues to lag behind the rest of the line.
Score: 3/5
Honor #2 – “Dead Badge of Courage” Story: Bill Jemas Script: Frank Ortega, Bill Jemas Layouts: Julian Rowe Pencils: Jose Luis, Brent Peeples Publisher: Double Take Comics Price: $2.50 Release Date: 11/11/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital