Archenemies #2
Originally Presented at Comixtreme.com on May 4, 2006
Quick Rating: Good
Title: What Goes Around
Forget Starfighter… Vincent sets his sights on Ethan!
Writer: Drew Melbourne
Pencils: Yvel Guichet
Inks: Joe Rubinstein
World’s Worst Roommate Art: D.J. Coffman
Colors: Rick Hiltbrunner
Letters: Jim Keplinger
Editor: Philip Simon
Cover Art: Yvel Guichet
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Review: The second issue of Dark Horse’s Archenemies miniseries offers up plenty of laughs, but the plot progression is rather muted, and it’s that flaw that bumps the rating down to 3.5. It’s a good issue, but not quite enough happens to make it rate any higher.
Fed up with his roommate, Ethan Baxer, would-be supervillain Vincent Darko decides to forgo his plans to destroy his arch-enemy and destroy his roommate instead… little does he know that Ethan and Starfighter are one and the same. A failed murder attempt makes Ethan fear that the nefarious Underlord has discovered his identity and fears for his roommate… unaware that Vincent is Underlord.
The first few pages build the situation nicely on the heels of last issue’s set-up, but most of the rest of the book is just Vincent plotting or Ethan worrying, without much else happening until the very end. We do get to meet some of the other characters in their world, which is nice, and the scripting is slick and funny… I laughed several times reading this book. I just wish more had happened in it, that’s all.
Guichet and Rubinstein’s artwork is solid, but Rubinstein’s inks were a little too heavy at times, making the book a bit darker than really fit the tone. On the other hand, they again have treated us to a cover that dovetails straight into the story, and for that, I’m enormously grateful. I’m not sure when it was made taboo for comic book covers to actually have something to do with the story, let alone (GASP!) have word balloons, but this series is delighting me in bucking that trend and doing a throwback to the days when covers were fun.
Melbourne and Coffman give us another installment of “World’s Worst Roommate” this issue as well - a funny gag strip that will resonate with anyone who’s ever had a roommate. Rounding out the issue is a nice array of bonus features and texts, including a great faux interview with Nanoman.
Between the cover style and the back-ups, this title really is everything I think comics should be - fun and loaded with goodies. We just need a little more plot this issue.
Rating: 7/10