By Dustin Cabeal
The long await return of The Weatherman! At least for me. One of the perks of reviewing comics is that on occasion you get to read comic early, such was the case with this series, but the catch is that you’re then locked in waiting longer than normal for the next issue. I was very excited to read more of this series after the first issue, and now that excitement has only grown.
The first issue was quirky, charming, full of darkness and depression, but ultimately one of the best reads I’ve had all year. The second issue takes a much darker turn with the story, but it still fits with the world that was created and set up in the first issue.
The opening is an intentionally confusing mess. We backtrack in the story some, but the event's lineup with the opening of the first issue. We’re essentially reading two parts of the story divided by each other, and it’s intriguing but never confusing. The story then moves to the present in which Nathan is getting his face rocked by a government dude. His “date” is in charge of his interrogation, and she’s eating up the torture being dished out. To the point that she does one of the most fucked up things I’ve seen in comics in a long ass time. I’m sure it will make a lot of people sad, possibly even fake angry, but regarding the story, it made absolute scenes. It’s a haunting scene that quickly establishes that this shit ain’t no joke.
Eventually, we learn the hook of the story. While I won’t say what it is specifically, it’s very clearly the reason that everyone is after Nathan. He’s a wanted man, but also a very hated man. Which is fantastic considering it goes against his entire personality of being easy going, fun loving and charismatic. The writing is extremely strong in this regard. Even though Nathan doesn’t have much dialogue, there is a ton of work done on his character making him even more flushed out by the end of the issue. “Amanda” aka Cross, also grows leaps and bounds, but not until she shows her scummy side. I would like to dive into that, but frankly, people need to read the issue more and at least get one more issue under their belt before I do. At any rate, there’s an amazing scene between Cross and her boss in which he reminds her of the job and snaps her out of her vengeful interrogation. Those few pages were the best of the entire issue and showed the mastery that Jody LeHeup has with this story.
Nathan Fox is delivering career work on this series. His art has always been good, but it’s reached a new level on this issue. I hate when characters in comics (and even movies) take a beating, and their face is swollen. It never lasts, it feels pointless to the story, and it's not particularly fun to look at. Fox though, illustrates some amazing scenes showing Nathan’s busted face. While my complaint of the fading beating is present, it strangely works for the story because of how Nathan handles it. Fox’s artwork adds so much personality to the characters. You get Nathan’s arrogance, Cross’ rage and so much more from the faces and body language of the characters.
I still can’t get over that this series is being colored by Dave Stewart because it doesn’t look anything like what he’s typically known for. Usually, Stewart’s coloring is easy to spot, but not with Weatherman. I don’t know if he’s trying to grow or expand of if that’s just what the job called for, but it’s a treat to see his mastery on this series. He brings Fox’s artwork to life and helps make the characters feel real.
As I said with the first issue, it’s been a while since I read something from Image that I was truly excited for. Granted, this has turned into an “escort the witness” style of story, but the handling of it has been captivating from beginning to end. In just two short issues it’s created a world that ripe for the imagination and entertaining to take part in, best not to miss it.
Score: 5/5
The Weatherman #2
Image Comics