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MARVEL KNIGHTS VOL. 2 #2
"The Taking of New York City One-Two-Three"
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: John Figueroa
Artist: Alberto Ponticelli
Colors: Nathan Eyring
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Bronwyn Taggart
Price: $2.99 US/$4.75 CAN |
As much as Marvel Knights #1 represented a good action movie in comics form, Marvel Knights #2 represents a bad
action movie in comics form. The dialogue is cheesy and predictable and the
characterization is disappointing. The good guys are noble and tough, the bad
guys are wicked and sadistic, and there's no real attempt to explain either
mindset. On top of that, the action sequences aren't as effective as they were
in the last issue. I'm still intrigued by the Brothers Grace and their assault
on everything decent in New York City, but this is so over-the-top it borders on
campy.
I'm all for thoroughly nasty
villains, but I prefer to see them as motivated by something other than a "bad
guy" sign being stuck above their head. In this issue, the Brothers Grace and
their allies maim one of the heroes, torture their own people, kill an old woman
and a blind baby girl and use sleazy lawyers and corrupt judges to kick tenants
out of their homes. Presumably, the message we're meant to get is that these are
bad guys. The message I took away is that Figueroa is trying too hard, and the
sheer level of depravity that the Brothers Grace are afforded gets silly long
before the issue has ended.
In general, that's a problem
throughout the story. While I get that Mister Tune's reason for letting the
Punisher leave is meant to be a mystery, at this stage it just comes off as an
illogical weakness from the villain. And the level of access and power that the
Brothers Grace have is presented as fairly ludicrous. A foe that powerful and
connected can be done effectively, but it usually takes more time than two
issues. It seems like Figueroa is rushing things a bit here.
Ponticelli's artwork is as
strong in this second issue as it was in the first one, for the most part. The
showdown between Bonita Apache and the Shockers is a good, if brief, action
sequence, and the assassination of a gang member by rocket launcher is another
imaginatively designed piece of fight choreography. I also enjoyed some of his
quieter and more moody moments, such as Daredevil's reflection while high above
the city.
There's a lot of potential in this concept and in these characters, and after the impressive first issue, I'm hopeful that this issue is just a minor stumble on a longer race. But it seems like Figueroa needs to slow down the story a tad, develop his characters more and take things down a notch, or Marvel Knights is
going to wind up looking less like an action title and more like unintentional
comedy.
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