Veil #2

Comics don’t work well when they simply present pretty artwork along with some words, rather than a finished product; like sperm that has penetrated an egg and grown into a unique being. When Veil #1 was finished, I was afraid that we had two talented creators that just couldn’t fertilize that egg.

I’m happy to say that those fears were entirely off-base.

The first two issues are really best read together, so as to not linger on any feelings of disjointed collaboration that might have come from the debut. Because it really isn’t disjointed at all. Read in one sitting, it feels more like two parts of a first episode (and I don’t mean that in a derogatory “this is meant to pitch to Hollywood” way).

It feels as though it is just a case of the creators staying true to their vision, rather than letting concerns about hooking readers stray them from their path. Instead, they put their faith in their readers being the sort that give talent more than one issue to grab them.

Now, enough with the preamble…

The second issue gives us a bit of a better understanding of the players and the field they’re gathered on. Veil is still a mystery to herself and others, and possibly no more revealed than in the first issue. Yet the reader comes away with the feeling that they understand her more all the same, as the creators show us their beautiful baby.

Where the first issue’s storytelling was a bit frozen, this issue has warmed up. Where the art seemed more separate from the words, they melt together as the second issue progresses and, whether intentional or not, really serve the story. This issue introduces a perspective on the first that makes you wonder if that stiffness was meant to convey the whole “stranger in a strange world” feeling Veil had, as the bright lights of the big city stunned her.

With the characters slightly more comfortable, despite the circumstances of the story, faces become more expressive and panels convey a sense of urgency and emotion. Events advance just enough to get a sense of where things are going and who the characters are. Dante is apparently the only man good-hearted enough in the immediate vicinity to want to help Veil, rather than have her. The antagonist side of the equation involves the occult and plain ol’ thirst for money and power, with the potential to be either a multi-pronged threat or simply multiple threats at odds with each other, or both. And, in the middle, we have Veil, who, whatever she is, doesn’t seem much like what she’s chosen to be.

It feels as though we’re set up for a mashing of genres: Hardboiled meets Supernatural meets The Fugitive. We have one of the most accomplishedwriters of the last decade and a talented artist with a style and approach that are a perfect match for this unique production. If you haven’t tried the Veil yet, I highly recommend getting the first two issues and reading them back to back. If you tried the first and passed, pick up the second and read them together. It’s unlikely you’ll regret it.