Magneto #2

By Cullen Bunn, Gabriel Hernandez Walta & Jordie Bellaire

Magneto #2 spirals into a familiar tale of a poverty-stricken community being thinned out by mysterious men who take people away to never return. However, there are a lot of other really interesting factors involved in this book. This is a story about morals and revenge, the protagonist’s code of brutal retribution against any who would seek to harm mutant-kind.

Cullen Bunn opens things up amidst the aftermath of Magneto’s attack from last month. There were some pretty powerful moments in this sequence, especially as one particular victim recounts the horrifying experience. There are also signs of a growing Magneto fan club following his spree of vigilante justice. This aspect may not be completely new to this type of story, but it certainly introduces an interesting dynamic to the background of this dark tale. And dark it is! This is probably one of the grimmest titles Marvel is currently producing, and Cullen Bunn really works this angle well. In particular, the flashback sequences of a young Magneto growing up under a Nazi regime drew some interesting parallels to his current character and the overall story of issue #2.

The artwork is really quite interesting, with a fairly unique overall feel. Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s illustrations in this series are difficult to accurately describe, but the raw, gritty tone of the story is definitely enhanced by the visuals. The character faces are very expressive throughout this issue, really conveying the underlying emotion of each panel. The action sequences towards the end of the book really look horrific and crazy, as Magneto proceeds to launch dozens of old nails towards his assailants. The cold detachment on his face as he slaughters his enemies is another testament to the wonderfully effective character designs in Magneto #2.

Jordie Bellaire, color master extraordinaire, again presents absolutely fantastic work in this latest installment. Every image appears much more detailed with her careful coloring which often looks like a deep painting in this series. The action is particularly vibrant and dynamic with the bright tones of red which engulf these scenes. The color scheme employed in the flashback sequences was also very effective and interesting, lending a very noir sensibility to these moments.

While the overall plot isn’t particularly new or ground breaking, Magneto is a very enjoyable series featuring a great main character. As already mentioned, this is probably one of the darker books to come from Marvel right now, and the creative team is definitely effective in conveying this tone in every respect. The current mystery of Magneto was really deepened in this latest installment and it will be interesting to see where things go from here.