Written by: Jim Zub
Art by: Djibril Morissette-Phan
Colours by: K. Michael Russel
Letters by: Marshall Dillon
Cover by: Djibril Morissette-Phan
Published by: Image Comics
This 2nd arc of Glitterbomb continues right where the last finished. The creatures have run amok and Kaydon Klay has been thrust into the spotlight – something she has always craved but not in the manner she would have dreamed of. Jim Zub has always been a master of character study and this juxtaposition between fame and infamy is deftly balanced. At the end of the last arc, forty of Hollywood’s biggest names were slaughtered during a live broadcast and Kaydon was one of the last people to talk to the woman behind it – namely the lead protagonist of the first four issues Farrah Durante. Everyone wants to catch the perfect soundbite and Kaydon in her naiveite is perhaps too honest. What will come of this we can only guess at this stage but bearing in mind that Kaydon is still only in high school you’d have to imagine that Zub has layers and layers of character to build upon as this series progresses.
A character that I really enjoyed during the previous mini was Detective Isaac Rahal. An honest cop who is clearly suffering PTSD trying to get to the bottom of what happened at the massacre and what the creature really is. I believe there is a lot of scope for development of this character. Speaking of which, while this series may be focused on Kaydon, the creature(s) still lurks in every dark corner – this book is still very much horror even if it has taken a slightly backwards step in this issue.
Djibril Morissette-Phan came to Glitterbomb as a relative unknown but finished the mini as one of my favourite new artists. He only steps up his game in “The Fame Game”. Each character is distinctive and the emotion that Morissette-Phan can show in the eyes in phenomenal.
I was full of praise for K. Michael Russell’s use of colours in the first arc and yet again he shows why is such a sought-after artist in his field. He takes each panel and adds a bit of his magic to make them truly special. Perhaps nothing that the uninitiated will notice but to those in the know, he elevates the art to the next level.
I simply cannot praise this book enough. Zub, Morissette-Phan and Russel continue right where they left off to create a tense character driven story with a deep sense of foreboding horror underlying everything.
Overall: 10/10
Available on September 20th 2017.
What about…Husband, Father and High School Teacher. Dreams of being a time travelling spy averting the robot apocalypse. When not geeking out enjoys creating music and watching cars go round and round a track. Waiting patiently for Timon and Pumbaa to enter the MCU. Overthinker.
