By Ben Snyder

It says a lot that I’m continually left fascinated by Analog’s world despite writer Gerry Duggan’s hit or miss script. The post-internet world is so captivating that it feels as if there are endless possibilities. With the new addition of government intervention in private affairs, it seems as though Analog is on a more set path than previously thought which definitely helps, and Duggan’s humor is a much appreciated counter-balance to the heavy noir elements present in the story. Despite some initial trepidation due to an unnecessarily long fight scene, Analog #2 adjusts itself and delivers a solid issue to continue the story.

Perhaps the worst and only real negative to this chapter is the beginning fight scene in which Jack and his father defend against the government invaders. The back and forth banter between Jack and his dad simply didn’t click and made the entire scene feel like a groan. Some of the parts work though; it’s pretty funny when you realize that Jack’s dad is dismantling enemy after enemy in a pink apron and underwear.

The chapter kicks into full gear with the introduction of “Aunt Sam”. It’s a clever twist on “Uncle Sam” and she has a startling resemblance to Hilary Clinton (Pantsuit, Short blonde Hair) but she is an interesting addition to the mythos and her motives are novel as well. After further inspection, I actually find it a bit odd that government would have waited this long to involve itself in private affairs especially after how the Internet was sabotaged and the ramifications of it.

Duggan also formally introduced Oona Thorne. We met her briefly in the first issue, but now we get a full glimpse of her character. And she sure does seem interesting. Watching her engage with Jack while setting up a wheelchair for unknown reasons (possibly scamming someone) shows her layers and resourcefulness but too much is unknown of her now. The way the chapter ended leaves the door open for an Oona-centric chapter next which should be interesting, but as of now, I’d be surprised if she could carry a whole chapter.

I mentioned it last review, but David O’Sullivan’s art owes a lot to Sean Murphy’s. His tendency to make the male characters look Neanderthal like and grizzled looks eerily similar. But this should not be a negative as Murphy’s style is one of my personal favorites and worthy of imitation as long as there is a twist on it and O’Sullivan asserts himself enough by not making it as expressionist and adding a significant amount of detail to the images.

Throughout the issue I continued to have some issues with the choice of having white background for the panels. I feel as though the gutters and background could have been used more effectively or simply spread out more instead of leaving the bright white. It does draw your eye to the darker elements of the panels but it also leaves a majority of pages feeling underutilized.

Despite a couple of missteps Analog #2 improves greatly on the premise of the original issue. Gerry Duggan and David O’Sullivan achieve just enough to distinguish themselves amongst the crowded landscape of talented Image creators.

Score: 4/5

Image Comics
Analog #2