Well I am just as intrigued with this comic as last issue. The story is incredible. I don’t want to waste anymore time, so let’s jump into it already. Love the opening scene with the art taking a helicopter view of the plane crash. Again, this just shows Clayton Crain’s range and all he can do. I looked forward to where he takes us with his art. Definitely one of those pictures that gets you excited visually for some magical realism. Actually this whole story reminds me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story called A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings. It is a great story if you haven’t read it. And if you have, than Savior mimics what I see for the future of this comic. We already know that the people are scared of this man from our flash forward in last month’s issue. So I am sure, people will label him freak in most contexts.
Anyway, Damascus has a lot of cleaning up to do, but obviously more importantly the town must start to recover from this huge event. Many people have lost their lives and since the local highway was involved in the accident, the town has a lot of people who have passed away. But it seems for now, we aren’t focusing so much on the hurt people as we are the surrounding stories.
The comic gives this vibe that the plane crash wasn’t an accident. With an important person on board, with suspicious evidence on the plane, and with the savior showing up. It all seems to coincidental. But I love the little hints we get. Brian Holguin and Todd McFarlane keep giving their readers these hints without totally confusing us, so it makes the reader on edge with every panel. And the plot keeps building with this intensity. One way in which its builds is with the savior’s flashbacks. See he doesn’t remember anything about himself. No name. No memories. The only thing he remembers is saving that girl and seeing the plane go down. But flashbacks of the event are happening, but each time the panels reveal something different. I won’t give too much away, but I will say it shows a lot of fire. Which makes me think that savior is being born. Plus he comes out of the woods naked, so again this all points to him being born. It would explain a lot and also explain that his creator gave him the ability to function as a human being and not have to be taught.
The other moment that puts you on edge is the introduction to a new character. I do think this comic will do a lot of introducing of people, whether we finish their story or not is something I can’t say. But with such a large-scale story happening, I love getting to know how certain individuals are dealing with this. His name is Malcolm and the local police know of him... a lot. It seems Natalie has taken on a motherly or sisterly role with him. He has this everything-is-about-me attitude while blaming God for sending him a sign that he exists by having the plane crash. Yeah his purpose in the story isn’t clear yet. But nonetheless, it is interesting. You get this feeling that the savior will affect him in a big way once the savior is revealed so to speak.
The whole issue has this intensity that is not overwhelming. It is just good clean writing. Holguin and McFarlane have a ways to go with the story but man I am excited to be on the edge of my seat the whole way.
Score: 4/5
Savior #2 Writer: Brian Holguin & Todd McFarlane Artist: Clayton Crain Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 5/13/15 Format: Ongoing, Print/Digital