Revenge #2

By Jonathan Ross & Ian Churchill

The first issue of Revenge caught many people off guard (myself included), because prior to buying it, there hadn’t been much promotion for it. It turned out to be an excellent read with some gorgeous work by the talented Ian Churchill. Now there are expectations for this book, so how did the second issue stack up?

There are some books that have mature warnings on them that aren’t really necessary, but this is definitely not one of them. This is an extremely hard book that crosses lines and doesn’t care, which is actually part of it’s charm. Jonathan Ross brings a witty script to life with his entertaining dialogue and the simple plot of Griffin Franks getting his revenge on the people who have wronged him. Ross also manages to inject some humor into the story with Franks’ drug induced flashbacks in which he takes children to a generic Disney world. While some points in the issue can run on a little, they are necessary for the plot. While it’s only been two issues, Ross has done a great job of keeping things fresh and interesting.

There really aren’t too many bad things you can say about Ian Churchill’s art. He is really an underrated artist in the industry and always put forth his best effort in every book he draws. Everything in Ross’s crazy script looks great because of Churchill, including a naked woman with a strap on talking to the doctor. Churchill brings so much life and personality to his work that it’s easy to tell that he loves what he is doing. It can be hard to draw a man without a face, muscles can be tough to draw, but Churchill nails it like the pro that he is. One of Ian’s greatest strengths is his attention to detail, this is seen in the last panel of the issue when our hero is treated to a few changes. Churchill lays out everything perfectly and just knocks this issue out of the park.

The second issue of Revenge is just as impressive as the first. We get more plot development and the lingering scent of several double crosses in the future. Jonathan Ross has presented us with two very well written issues that are accompanied by wonderful artwork from Ian Churchill. If the quality can hold up on both ends, this can be an outstanding series moving forward.