Smith and Hurd's second issue isn't nearly as strong as the first, but there are still down-to-earth aspects here and surreal ones that draw the reader into the story. Where they go astray is with cop-drama cliches, but they're necessary ones to make the abnormal psychological makeup of one new character work. The structure of the series emerges here -- a seemingly regular person is injected into extreme environments -- and it serves as a means to provide an unbiased, fresh perspective on the things people ignore or to which they're oblivious every day. The greatest strength of this issue is the charm of Smith's simple line art and how expressive his characters are.
A bungled bank robbery leaves behind one body, one suspect and a question as to the whereabouts of the rest of the gang that tried to pull the heist, and the 31st Precinct sends in its best detective to interrogate the guy who got left behind at the scene. He puts on quite the show, playing the role of both good cop and bad cop, but what his superiors don't realize is that it's not a show. Meanwhile, Envy St. Claire accepts a new assignment from her boss at the temp agency: organizing files in the basement of the same police precinct.
Envy boasts a smooth, unblemished beauty that stands out even more against the backdrop of a sea of ugly characters. The other characters' faces are misshapen and harsh, and it serves to further set Envy apart from the world in which she exists. While she doesn't come off as an innocent, per se, her perceptions are uncolored by emotion or pretense. She sees things are they really are, and that's what allows her to see the everyday and extreme insanities around her. I also appreciated the faded production qualities of the scenes that take place in the detective's troubled mind. It helped to set that symbolism apart from the "real" scenes.
The interrogation scene that serves as the opening sequence for this issue is, to be brutally honest, a tired cliche. It fails to capture an air of truth to it. It feels like a rejected segment from Law & Order or NYPD Blue. However, the conflict going on inside the cop's head makes for far more interesting material. Watching the different personalities wrestling for control is almost comical, but ultimately, it comes off as sad that those around him cannot see how obviously broken this man is.
That wilful blindness is what lies at the heart of this series. "Police society" and self-involvement have us all walking around with our mouths sewn shut, refusing to stand up to stupidity that surrounds us. We say nothing, we do nothing when an angry, outraged little voice inside us screams out for action. Envy listens to that voice. She punishes the ignorant in her own little way and she rails against those who expect the same sort of ignorance from her. 7/10
