“We’re in a chase. A police chase. We’re in a police chase. Not as journalists, mind you, but as participants.” “Think we could sell the footage, though?”

Stringers #2 starts with the cops catching up with Paul and Nick, and ends with a harsh cliffhanger. And in between, there’s a whole lot of car chasing. Like, 90% of this issue was a car chase, which I dig a lot. The story moves quickly, but readers aren’t frantically trying to keep up- we’re right in the car with them.

Nick’s love of crime procedurals helps the duo out of a sticky situation, and Paul laments the fact that he is likely going to jail because of Nick’s TV habits. The thing is, though, Paul goes along with it. He trusts Nick enough to let him take the lead, and he’s quite literally putting his life in Nick’s hands as Nick drives them away from trouble. We don’t learn a lot more about these two in this issue, but we do see this aspect of their partnership, which is incredibly telling. For all that Paul complains, he’s still sitting in the passenger seat.

The USB remains a mystery, but Nick has a plan, and it includes finding out what exactly that USB is hiding. Whether they’ll be able to carry out that plan is for us to find out in the next issue, but it definitely hasn’t been forgotten.

Everything I loved about the first issue carried over into this one. It maintains that fast, action-packed feel, and keeps up the quick and witty dialogue. Paul and Nick play off each other so well, and I’d love to know more about their partnership as well as the characters as individuals. The story balances action with humor without forcing it or overdoing it, and it makes for a really fun read. I’m ready for #3- these poor guys just can’t catch a break, and I need to know what happens next!

Score: 4/5

Stringers #2 Writer: Marc Guggenheim Artist: Justin Greenwood Publisher: Oni Press Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/30/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital