Written by: Chris Pasetto and Christian Cantamessa
Art by: Lukas Ketner
Color by: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Published by: Image Comics/Skybound
“No one has ever survived the labyrinth. Now it’s kill or be killed as Theseus leads his fellow tributes through its many horrors in a desperate bid to escape, but all paths lead to the dreaded Minotaur.”
Kill the Minotaur #2 opens with a brief sequence where King Aegeus gives us a little bit of insight into the events that led us to our current story, and then we get dropped right into the heart of the Labyrinth. Theseus wakes and finds himself on a balcony overlooking a vast, elaborate structure that bears little, if any, resemblance to the classic unicursal pattern we typically associate with the Labyrinth.
It’s a…living prison?
Lukas Ketner’s artwork really shines in this second installment. The maze itself is a character, terrifying in its nightmare inducing vastness. The characters’ expressions and ambulation are brilliantly tied to their individual personalities and the horrific situation they’re facing. There are a couple times I’d like to knock the smugness off Theseus’ face.
Speaking of that smugness, our “hero” is thus far anything but heroic. In his first scene in this chapter, he assaults a female and threatens her with a blade at her throat. He often charges off into the unknown, leading his fellow tributes to certain death. There’s a scene where Theseus attempts to beat information out of the one Cretan that is stuck in the Labyrinth with them. He also curses like a sailor. Not exactly the shining hero from the version I remember from junior high.
Chris Pasetto and Christian Cantamessa are doing exactly what they set out to do with this series. They’re turning a myth inside out, challenging everything you think you know about a two thousand year old story. We basically have a locked room mystery with a known ending. What remains to be seen is how many of his companions Theseus can keep alive, and whether any redeeming character traits will develop for our “hero.”
Overall: 8.5/10
Brendan Allen has probably had more jobs than you would reasonably believe. Dog trainer? He’s done it. Flooring contractor? Yep! EMT? Army NBC specialist? Road dog for a Celtic rock band? Yes, yes, and och aye! Now he reads comics and writes about them.
