There’s a new US President in this comic book, and things are getting tense. Who’s been keeping score? Perfect timing for the second issue of Image Comics’ Post Americana.
Ironically, Post Americana is written and drawn by Canadian Steve Skroce. No matter what side of the border he’s on, Steve has the chops, he’s created Maestros, co-created We Stand On Guard, drawn for Marvel, worked on storyboards, lots of cool stuff.
If you missed issue 1, well, it’s post-apocalyptic time, folks. The new president is not a nice guy, but the immediate danger is from Cannibal Maniacs! To abbreviate, cannibals in the desert have captured Carolyn and Mike, and plan to “have” them for entertainment and dinner!!
Dave Stewart (colourist on Hellboy, Star Wars, Human Target, Daredevil, Ultimate X-Men, etc) comes to the plate (ahem) with plenty of colouring gusto. Stewart nicely separates foreground from background, which helps us navigate this crowded story.
Skroce renders stunning vistas, strong figures, great expressive faces and mighty acts of violence. Yes, it’s visually dense, and lots of limbs-akimbo here. The body count is high, the swear jar is overflowing too. It’s ‘Nearly Headless Nick’ recapped, limbless nimbleness, and generally disturbing mayhem from cover to cover.
But deeply hidden among the drawings and pages of shouting is a clever commentary on the rich and pampered, those who tolerate authoritarian regimes, and what happens to the kids on Lord of The Flies when they grow up.
Not charming, not comforting, but compelling for its guts and glory.
Image Comics, Post Americana #2, $3.99 for 24 pages of content. Mature Readers.
Newsdesk