I’ll be honest with you… I read this issue before you. I mean how could I not? The first issue was fantastic and so given the opportunity I jumped at reading this issue in advance. It also meant that I had to re-read it in order to write this review and you know what? Just as good the second time around. The first issue for this series just shipped, but if you missed out on it fear not there’s a second print for it coming since it sold out. You can also check out our group review, but enough of that. Here's a quick reminder of what the G+ virus is; it’s a sexually transmitted disease that gives you powers. We’re talking X-Men like powers with no two people being afflicted the same way twice, but it comes with a cost… you only have six months to live. Our story follows three people who have contracted the virus.
The issue kicks off with Weasel; a man who is a fading rock star looking to sell a few more albums before kicking the bucket. The biggest problem is that his music sucks and the gimmick of his powers is already wearing off. The other problem that Weasel has is that his personal life is shit. His ex-wife won’t let him see his son and thus has interrupted his impromptu concert outside of his apartment to tell him as much. He becomes enraged and throws his guitar out the window hitting a fan in the head. In what I can only call perfect comedic timing the story cuts to the fan on the News later giving a thumbs up and his friend holding the guitar for him.
The next character the story checks in with is Verity. She’s clearly not perfect, but compared to the other two main characters she’s damn near a saint as they’ve both continued to engage in sexual activity and possibly assigned death sentences to other women if the virus activates. Her problem is that her power scale flagged very high and alerted the wrong people. It also caused her to freak out and accidentally kill five people. The police easily figure out that it’s her when they turn on the computer, but then the Department of National Security rolls in and takes over the case. It’s interesting what they do, but I’ll leave that for you to read. We also learn who Lou is and let’s just say that’s short for something else. Now the DofNS is hot on Verity’s trail and she has nowhere to go. There’s not much I can say about the third characters chunk of the story or even the rest of the other two’s stories without spoiling it for you, but let’s just say that you’re going to have a hard time predicating where everything is going.
The strongest element about this story is that writer Monty Nero has grounded it in reality. Other comics have attempted this, but none have pulled it off like Nero has. There’s a sense of each character’s life before the death sentence is handed to them and there’s a clear distinction of what is normal for them now or at least their attempt at making something normal. For Verity she wants to do what’s right and register and basically just live a peaceful life until her end. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen for her. Weasel’s life is a grab bag of shit with so many loose ends to tie up death will probably be a welcomed sense of relief. The great thing about their characters is that the reader can relate to at least one of them. Definitely not 100%, but enough that you can understand their reasoning for this or that choice or even a wrong choice; and if you read it and don’t relate to any of them then I’m sure you at least have someone similar in your life to relate them to.
You have to love that art. It’s impossible not to love it and I’m not just talking about the covers, though they are amazing and beautiful all on their own. As I said the story is grounded in reality and art makes sure of that with the photorealistic imagery. Artist Michael Dowling puts the reader inside this world that helps us narrate the tale of our three main characters. The coloring is also stunning. Each setting has its own range of colors which is perfect for the story considering it jumps around. I think the strongest scenes for the coloring were set at night, but also one towards the end involving Verity.
I wish that I had the third issue to read this very moment. In fact I wish I could just read the entire series right now it’s that addicting of a story. The reveals in this issue are great and only leave you wanting more questions answered. If you missed the first issue then you should kick yourself because it’s one of the best series of the year.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Monty Nero Artist: Michael Dowling Publisher: Titan Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/23/13