Dead Body Road #2

By Justin Jordan, Matteo Scalera & Moreno DiNisio

The first issue of Dead Body Road was good, not great but it was a pretty decent start. Now with the release of issue two, the story is starting to take form and is looking even more intense. On his quest for revenge for his murdered wife, Orson has picked up a companion who may also have something by teaming up to take out this violent group of bank robbers.

This issue we are introduced to Rachel, who is the girlfriend of Jimmy, the one bank robber who seemed to have a conscience and tried to steal the money and run away. Unlike Jimmy, Rachel is pretty feisty and is the only person who knows where Jimmy hid the stash of stolen money. Writer Jordan, who is a relatively newer name in comics has made a name for himself the past few years writing fan favorites like the Luther Strode series, really hits hard with this gritty revenge crime story. Even though most of his work in comics so far has been very enjoyable, Dead Body Road is probably his strongest offering to date. Jordan has always had a knack for ultra-violence, particularly in his creator owned works, but the violence in Dead Body Road fits the story and doesn’t feel like an easy attempt for shock value. This is the kind of series that really suits his style and makes him stand out from the pack.

Artist Matteo Scalera has recently gotten a lot of attention for his off the wall art for Black Science but his work on Dead Body Road shows a whole other side to what he is able to accomplish with his talent. He is able to accurately capture the rough and bleak feeling of the desert setting to this series. His pencils and inks reflect the dirty style of the story but then when you add Moreno Dinisio’s clean colors on top of that you get a series that both has that grimy crime feel and still manages to look bright enough to pop off the page without distracting from the story or feeling out of place. The art team of Scalera and Dinisio work incredibly well together and they assist in the overall ambiance of Jordan’s revenge story.

So far Dead Body Road‘s tale of revenge isn’t anything new that certain fans haven’t  read before. It’s more of a product of a group of skilled creators coming together and meshing so well that they complement each other. An exciting book like this keeps you as a reader entertained to read and keeps you wanting to come back each month to see what happens next.