Advance Review: Tommy Gun Wizards#2 (of 4)
The gangster not quite Harry Potter mash up continues with the second issue, where the spell of secrets is unravelled. Maybe “what happens behind the curtain, doesn’t always stay behind the curtain”.
The second issue goes some way to show the world prior to the arrival of magic and it’s subsequent integration into everyday society. We also get to see a younger, more carefree Ness, before we are thrust back to the present in a most two wheeled of fashions.
Writer Christian Ward doesn’t let up with the pace, regardless of the time shifts and the need to give at least some explanations. Ward cleverly does this by giving just enough away to match present day, which means that as Ness and his quest progresses, the snippets given add nuance and relevance. The knock on this style is that it means that the reader needs to keep up with chaos, chaos, dialogue and more chaos. Secrets are the name of this game, with a couple of doozies waiting to be found.
The aforementioned chaos is supplied by Sami Kivela, whose work this time around is equally as good as the previous issue. Now that the scene has been set, Kivela gets to play around with different environments as we get to see a before, a during which does include a magical club before speakeasy’s became prevalent and a church that gets more than desecrated. As there is magic involved, Kivela gets to demonstrate some strong imagery, some of which seems quite logical in a fairground freak-show kind of way. The pencil lines are a little square jawed in places, though this is off set by the, mainly, bright colors of Dee Cunniffe. I say mainly, as there are pages where Cunniffe tones down the brightness, to deliver some almost otherworldly vibes. Rounding of the art is the letterer, who thanks to no credit on the preview copy or on Dark Horse Comics’ own website, I am going to assume is Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The font is a tad comic sans which is a little off-setting when compared to what is going on in the panels and on the page, though this is minor observation. Finally, there is a fantastic variant cover from the talented Tula Lotay.
Tommy Gun Wiazrds #2 continues the style of the first book, building on an interesting mix of genres. With the Untouchable vibe, it will be interesting to see how and if those involved will look to take the book past the four issues of the mini series; still, that is a different kind of trick altogether.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Tommy Gun Wizards #2 has a Final Orders Due on September 2nd, and will be in shops 25th September.
Written by; Christian Ward
Art by; Sami Kivela
Colors by; Dee Cunniffe
Letters by; Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Published by; Dark Horse Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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