Comic Review: The Kill Lock #2 (IDW Publishing)

I thought I would like Kill Lock #2 a bit more, and it’s ‘killin'” me!

The premise of this IDW sci-fi comic is that four robots have each done some dastardly deeds. Done dirt cheap. They have been caught and linked together as punishment. If one of them dies, they ALL die. And that is one Brilliant concept.

In issue 2, they are heading to the planet Rachis, to look for The Cure. No, not the Goth rock band, rather a Cure for their imposed togetherness. They wish to separate but remain on good terms, so to speak.

Story is by Livio Ramondelli, who, incredibly, is also the illustrator. I say ‘incredibly’, because this comic’s art is so amazing! It’s in a photo-realistic style, complete with visual lighting effects, full-spectrum colour, and all the whistles.

While I whistle at the small paneled art, however, I find that I am puzzled by the story. And while a synopsis is (yayyyy) included inside the front cover of the issue, I’m easily baffled. Who is speaking now? Where are we again? Why is the letterer, Tom B Long, using an Old English style font for The Wraith’s dialogue, when it takes me so long to read that?

There are plenty of dramatic moments, the characters are strong and the dialogue is priceless, but the book is a bit congested. There are many panels per page, and they’re small and dark. But hang in there with this one, I think it’s going somewhere really good, even with a few bumps along the way.

IDW, Kill Lock #2, $3.99 for 24 pages of content. Mature for swearing.