The first issue of Mister X: Razed was a holiday themed issue. It provided short, but complete stories and it was a terrific read. This second issue moves into the more familiar format of the series which is two stories running parallel with each other that tie into the same plotline. The bonus is that we visit Electropolis which was my first exposure to creator Dean Motter’s work. The plot for both stories revolves around the disappearance of one of the biggest landmarks of Radiant City. The backstory is really interesting. Anytime there’s back story to Mister X I pay attention because we’re being given information about this mysterious city that lives in Motter’s mind. Also learning anything about the city architects is a bonus. “Society of Architects” are three words that don’t hold the same context in the real world as they do in this story. It’s just fascinating to me to think of a city that is basically sick or corrupted and the men that could fix it won’t and their secrets are protected like classified information in the Pentagon.
We actually follow our three main characters from Mister X in this issue which was a nice change of pace. We didn’t have to wait for them to show up by chance, instead they all play a role. In particular I liked Mercedes’ story the most. She’s in therapy and just seeing how her life has been affected by X is some honest storytelling. Motter could have reset her character, which in a long running series like this happens often, but he didn’t. He kept her as an “ex-con” which has changed her life and made it very difficult. It shows the layers to these characters and the world they live in.
The art continues to be fantastic in this series. I would kill to see Motter’s work each month and to see it built from pencils to color. While the first issue of Razed was in black, white and red, this second issue is in the full Mister X style of color. That means flat tones that complement the futuristic, yet warn world that it takes place in. I’ll stop there before I go into another rant about how much I love this 1930’s world trapped in the future.
Is this review to convince you to read Mister X? No. At this point you are or you aren’t. I’m just glad that there are enough of us reading it that Dark Horse and Motter continue to publish it. I’d love for new readers to join the experience, but frankly comics are still dominated by the capes and tights crowd and they can’t even get along in a genre that punches problems away. But if you are looking for a world that is creative, imaginative and populated by real characters then please do check out Mister X.
Score: 5/5
Mister X: Razed #2 Writer/Artist/Creator: Dean Motter Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/25/15 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital