I almost didn’t review this issue, but after reading the last issue I really wondered how this issue would go down. I don’t want to say that the ending was predictable, but the last issue left us at a point in which it’s easy to deduce the outcome if you wanted to. I did and I wasn’t wrong. I don’t know if it’s the fact that this is a longer story than the two that appeared in the first issue or if it’s just the way it was originally structured isn’t translating well to the issue format; but this issue didn’t work for me. For one thing it’s the payoff issue meaning tons of action and not a lot of plot. Sure Sinister still attempts to crack some jokes and Dexter maintains his bad-ass demeanor, but it’s all a bit rehashed from the last issue. Again, they are taking place in the same storyline, but these two issues originally appeared across issues 1189-1197 of 2000 AD. That means the audience needed reminding of the jokes and such because they had more time to forget.
It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s far from interesting and definitely wasn’t as rewarding of a reading experience as it previously has been. It honestly makes it a bit worrisome about how the rest of the issues will go. The series is fine when its smaller self-contained stories, but when it’s a bigger story like this one… it falls a bit flat.
The main problem is that there wasn’t enough build up to the end of this storyline. Spoilers they win and get away with killing the leader of the city, but I didn’t find it any more rewarding than they did. It was just business as usual for the main characters and as such you never worry that they won’t complete their task and get out unscathed. Instead it becomes an issue of, “why aren’t they done already” which is a real shame.
The art is once again split between Andy Clarke and Dylan Teague. It’s pretty seamless as I wasn’t able to tell whose section was whose. Polly never really looks as cool as her first appearance in the previous issue, but the ninjas are pretty bad-ass looking. The level of detail in this issue is maintained from beginning to end and it makes for a very consistent reading experience. Additionally the action is easy to follow and rewarding as well.
I’ll definitely be back for the next issue of Sinister Dexter, but hopefully this isn’t a sign of what’s to come. The appeal of this series is the characters and their actions, but if they become predictable then the stories also become predictable and that would be a real shame.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Dan Abnett Artists: Andy Clarke & Dylan Teague Publisher: 2000 AD/ IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 2/5/14