Review - Winter City #2

Things never seem to work out for organized crime in big cities. There always to be some vigilante or superhero looking to make their life miserable, either through disrupting their life or just flat out ending it. The hero (antihero?) in Winter City #2 has chosen the latter, laying waste to those that have sinned with little prejudice.

The second issue is written by Patrick and Carl Purcell, with illustrations by Pablo Verdugo Munoz and colored by David Aravena Riquelme (special pin-up artist Jerry "The Franchise" Gaylor).

The title of the second issue is "Frankly Full of Sin" and it doesn't take a genius to realize that someone named Franklyn Skyles is full of sin. He's being hunted for his sins and in the second issue the reader gets a better look at the being seeking repentance and he's a beastly looking individual.

Detectives Daniels and Harvey are still on the case as well, linking the deaths of Alan McLean and Franky Styles in a visit with Edward Smittz. Smittz uses the visit as something of a reality check, capitalizing on the details to help a friend.

There's another flashback to Sam Winters as well. There was a brief one in the first issue, but it really wasn't more than to show his mother and "pimp" daddy abandoning him with his uncle. The flashback in this issue is a lot deeper, providing insights into his rough upbringing and requirement that he immerse himself in bloodshed.

The Purcell writing is just as strong in the second issue as it is the first. Reading the series moves at a pace similar to that of the detectives' case, in that the reader is learning things as they are. The writing is careful not to tip its hand too much, putting the reader in the exact place necessary to maximize enjoyment of the story.

The Sam Winter flashback was very effective, painting him as an unwilling initiate in killing. It's a pretty safe leap to say that Sam is the killer in modern extracting Biblical vengeance, so seeing the flashback was great character building.

Munoz and Riquelme's art continues to be solid. Again, this is work that you can expect to see in Marvel or DC books, so it's refreshing to find it in an indie title. The punishment scenes feature decapitations and skewering, but it's not overtly violent and gory. It's very beautiful art work that complements the script exceptionally well.

The series Winter City continues to provide strong storytelling buoyed by even stronger art. The tale is a little overused in the vigilante seeking justice for whatever reason, but the great thing about Winter City is that the reason isn't entirely clear. Finding out makes the series worth checking out.

Winter City #2 is available now with interiors below.