By Dustin Cabeal

If I had only two words to describe Judas, it would be “Forced Drama.” If I had more than two words, which I do, it would probably be: Judas and Lucifer, shooting the shit in hell. The concerning thing about this comic is that we’re halfway through it and so far the only thing that’s happened is a condensed retelling of Judas’ story and Lucifer’s story. I sure as hell hope that the condensed retellings are somehow important to their character development in the next two issues because otherwise it was a waste of time and will likely be the sinking point of this mini-series.

Oh, but wait, I’m forgetting the twist at the end. It’s not that incredible. I’m sure some are going to say, “Damn, really?” But it will also be the first time anything pushed their imagination to function. The part that’s frustrating is that much like the first issue the ending and thus the entire second issue does very little to set the stage for the next issue. It’s like starting over each issue. At some point, it would be nice if the story felt like it was going somewhere. Instead, it just feels like the author is making the same statement over and over.

“Judas and Lucifer weren’t that bad; they were just playing the roles God made them play… and damn, isn’t God kind of a dick?” But if you're a villian... then you're still a villian, right? Who knows.

That is the only thing I’ve learned from this series so far as the rest is just a condensed bible retelling and that’s as dull as it sounds. The writing is quick and light, but it forces the drama at every turn, which has the opposite effect. It ends up feeling artificial. Possibly because only the “greatest hits” of the bible are being mentioned. Whatever the case, it’s not a chore to read, but it’s not fun either.

The artwork is okay. It’s consistent, and the coloring is excellent. The coloring is moody and full of personality, but the designs and hellscape are boring and out of place. Lucifer looks like a homeless man that is in desperate need of help… or just a shirt. The rest of hell was so incredibly basic that it makes you wonder if it’s even that bad, to begin with. A woman was turned to stone and has to spend eternity look at stuff… that sounds exactly like my downstairs neighbor, he seems to be getting by just fine so if that’s hell, then what the fuck is the Valley? My point being, the visuals could use some help in making hell look terrifying. Instead, it’s just rocking and full of demons that might kick your ass or something. I’m pretty sure that last part happens in the Valley as well so again, their hell could use a lot of improvement.

I didn’t think I’d be back to review this series again. It’s honestly just so dull that I wasn’t sure I’d have anything to say about it, positive or negative. Since we’re at the end of the review, it’s safe to say I found something to say, but admittedly it wasn’t nice and pretty harsh. Probably because it’s weak sauce. If you want an “in your face” book about religion, check out BOOM!’s very own Next Testament. Unfortunately for Judas, this book is going to be forgotten as quickly as he is in the Bible if the next two issues don’t knock it out of the park. Based on the pacing, I don’t see how they can, but maybe there will be a “water into wine” moment in the next issue.

Score: 2/5

Judas #2 (of 4)
BOOM! Studios