Crow: Lethe #2 Review
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Ilias Kyriazis
Colours: Katrina Mae Hao
Letters: Samuel Murray
In the second issue of The Crow: Lethe we begin to get some explanation for what is happening. The first issue introduced us to our characters then ended the issue with the murder of Lady Combustible. This second issue picks up with the police investigating the murder. As this is only a three part mini series this second issue also has the task of getting Null and the reader up to speed on what was happening for the final, concluding issue.
On paper it sounds like a lot is happening in this issue. Yet Tim Seeley manages to handle all the different parts of the story with a deftness that stops it feeling rushed or like he’s cramming a lot in. The explanations, when they come, are quite quick and to the point. They offer just enough insight for the reader to follow along and to point our hero, Null, in the right direction. It does leave the worry though that the final issue is going to feel rushed or crammed. By the conclusion of this issuewe are just reaching the point where most Crow stories would begin, yet there’s only one issue left to finish the story.
One of the strengths of Steeley’s writing is the story is character driven, not an easy task when there’s so much going on and only three issues to tell the story in. But he focuses on Null, the man with no memory, who rather than being curious about his past life wants nothing more than to run from it. It’s an interesting twist on the Crow mythos and while Steeley does a good job with it here it might have been a more rewarding storyline if it was extended past this series three issues. As it is, once it’s established that Null really doesn’t want to know about his past, he inevitably has to find out about it because there’s only one more issue remaining and quite a lot of story to pack into it.
Ilias Kyriazis’ art captures the violence of the fight scenes really well. There is a particularly memorable fight between our hero and the mysterious villain of the piece with a unique weapon which stands out in particular for the creativeness of the scene. There is plenty of blood flowing in this issue and it reminds you that this is a comic for adults. Kyriazis’ manages to mix the more horrific and violent moments seamlessly with the more mundane.
Katrina Mae Hao’s colours do a great job with Kyriazis’ art. The blood splatters, bright fires, Nulls white face, the blackness of the Crow, all of these stand out really well from the rest of the colours and draw the readers eye.
While the first two issues manage to cram a lot of story in Steeley manages to make them not feel too dense and keep the story character driven. Next months concluding issue has a lot to try and fit in though so time will tell whether he manages this trick. An interesting take on the Crow mythos it manages to make this series stand out amongst others. The art is a good fit for the story, sudden acts of violence come out of the blue and are impactful for the way they’re drawn. Crow fans will lap up this story for the subtle differences it makes.
Artist: Ilias Kyriazis
Colours: Katrina Mae Hao
Letters: Samuel Murray
In the second issue of The Crow: Lethe we begin to get some explanation for what is happening. The first issue introduced us to our characters then ended the issue with the murder of Lady Combustible. This second issue picks up with the police investigating the murder. As this is only a three part mini series this second issue also has the task of getting Null and the reader up to speed on what was happening for the final, concluding issue.
On paper it sounds like a lot is happening in this issue. Yet Tim Seeley manages to handle all the different parts of the story with a deftness that stops it feeling rushed or like he’s cramming a lot in. The explanations, when they come, are quite quick and to the point. They offer just enough insight for the reader to follow along and to point our hero, Null, in the right direction. It does leave the worry though that the final issue is going to feel rushed or crammed. By the conclusion of this issuewe are just reaching the point where most Crow stories would begin, yet there’s only one issue left to finish the story.
One of the strengths of Steeley’s writing is the story is character driven, not an easy task when there’s so much going on and only three issues to tell the story in. But he focuses on Null, the man with no memory, who rather than being curious about his past life wants nothing more than to run from it. It’s an interesting twist on the Crow mythos and while Steeley does a good job with it here it might have been a more rewarding storyline if it was extended past this series three issues. As it is, once it’s established that Null really doesn’t want to know about his past, he inevitably has to find out about it because there’s only one more issue remaining and quite a lot of story to pack into it.
Ilias Kyriazis’ art captures the violence of the fight scenes really well. There is a particularly memorable fight between our hero and the mysterious villain of the piece with a unique weapon which stands out in particular for the creativeness of the scene. There is plenty of blood flowing in this issue and it reminds you that this is a comic for adults. Kyriazis’ manages to mix the more horrific and violent moments seamlessly with the more mundane.
Katrina Mae Hao’s colours do a great job with Kyriazis’ art. The blood splatters, bright fires, Nulls white face, the blackness of the Crow, all of these stand out really well from the rest of the colours and draw the readers eye.
While the first two issues manage to cram a lot of story in Steeley manages to make them not feel too dense and keep the story character driven. Next months concluding issue has a lot to try and fit in though so time will tell whether he manages this trick. An interesting take on the Crow mythos it manages to make this series stand out amongst others. The art is a good fit for the story, sudden acts of violence come out of the blue and are impactful for the way they’re drawn. Crow fans will lap up this story for the subtle differences it makes.
A Look Inside
