Outcast #2 Review
Publisher: Image
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Paul Azaceta
Colorist: Elizabeth Breitweiser
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover Artist: Paul Azaceta & Elizabeth Breitweiser
Review by: Josh Gillam
Issue #2 of Outcast is the next step in the chilling horror tale that we’ve been anxiously awaiting.
This issue has a more direct focus on our main character, Kyle, as there are only two very brief scenes where he is not present. There isn’t as much action as the previous issue, but we get to explore more of the main character and dive a little further into the mystery of the demons. The book starts strong with Kyle talking to his mother who is in a coma, and through this dialogue you get a little more of the history between the two. Later on Kyle gets a ride into town with the Reverend from the first issue and is warned to be careful and inform him if he should see anything unusual. While in town Kyle has a run in with someone who knows his sister and through some more dialogue we get even more history about our antihero. The book ends in with a great cliffhanger that will leave you dying to know what comes next.
Robert Kirkman continued the same quality of storytelling from the first issue. This issue didn’t have any demonic possessions in it, but that didn’t stop it from being the best thing I read this week. Kirkman spent more time focusing on exploring some of Kyle’s past and how it has affected him. It is definitely more of a dialogue driven issue, but that’s not a problem when it is written well. All of the dialogue when Kyle is talking to his comatose mother was full of so much emotion, you find yourself getting sucked into that moment and really feeling for the character. While Kirkman was also revealing things about Kyle, he was also setting up new mysteries for the reader. They’re just small bits here and there, but it leads into that big cliffhanger I mentioned that will have the reader picking up issue #3 for sure.
Paul Azaceta delivers some fantastic artwork once again. There was a lot of emotion in this issue, especially as we explored some of Kyle’s past, and Azaceta made all of those emotions come alive. From sadness to anger, you’re able to internalize how the characters are feeling. There’s a fist fight at one point in the book, and at the moment you have no idea why, but you can read all the emotions given by everyone. Even during those moments when there is no dialogue, you’re still able to tell exactly what everyone is thinking and feeling. As we start to learn more about Kyle, this really helps to connect with the character.
I feel ashamed that I didn’t mention Elizabeth Breitweiser in my review for issue #1, so I’m trying to make up for it now. She does an amazing job with coloring in this issue. The colors she uses helps create a tone for each new scene. Her work compliments Paul Azaceta’s artstyle very well and the two make a great team. While this would still be an amazing book on its own, Breitweiser’s intuitive touch adds a level of grit, emotion and reality that lifts this book to an entirely different level.
Outcast is just what the horror genre needed. The story continues and new mysteries arise as Outcast shows us what horror comics are capable of.
Story: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Josh Gillam is a contributing writer for Drunk on Comics and the creator of the webcomic Cynical Stew. You can follow him on Twitter at @Cynical_Stew