Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
The Red Wing #2 of 4
Image Comics
Hickman & Pitarra
The second issue of The Red Wing manages to advance the plot in a major way with the big reveal at the end of the issue. The bulk of the issue deals with the junior members getting their wings and revisits the lost pilot. Overall, the issue is good but I find the characters to be one dimensional and uninteresting. As was the case with the first issue I find that the best thing about the book is the fact that the war is fought across time. In the end I'm not sure that is enough to carry the series but we'll see. The highlight of the book is the artwork.
Val and Dom continue to train to get their wings. The scenes are notable because more of the technology is showcased. Hickman does a good job of making this a science fiction based book with its ideas and terminology. Dom is lagging behind Val in terms of understanding how time travel truly works and he seeks out a general for some advice. The oddity here is that the general is simply gardening. It isn't until the end of the book do we begin to understand just how important agriculture is, but in this spot in the story it was bizarre.
Dom learns more about how time is sliced. This information is important to understanding the ending of the book. I found the ending, while a great reveal, makes no sense unless you stress over the general's explanation of the discs and layers as frequencies.
Dom's dad, Robert, is lost in time. He finds a tribe and learns to communicate with the tribe's leader. What's interesting here is that Robert doesn't age one bit during these scenes that span over a year. His hair and beard do not change at all. I wasn't a fan of this approach because it either is an oversight or ties back to something explained in the previous issue but not revisited in this issue. In fact, the only thing that changes in the isolated conversation pages is the medallion at the center of the wall ornament in the background where Robert and the tribe leader are talking. I hope we learn the significance of this because it certainly was odd and fascinating.
Pitarra's work is nothing short of incredible. Yes, his style and the line work over his pencils are very reminiscent of Frank Quitely, but the artwork has much more of a softer touch to them which makes this feel like more of a human book. The artwork is the only connection I am feeling to the characters at this point which is a real credit to Pitarra. Pitarra excels at making this book's universe creative and fresh. The book is a pure joy to look at visually.
Half way done with the series and we begin to understand what the war is about. Perhaps learning the character's motivations will help me to feel more of a connection to them but at this point my lasting memory of this story is the concept and the artwork. I don't think fans of Hickman are going to be disappointed at all but I am not sure this book is going to be for everyone.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
