Written by: Paul Tobin
Art by: Arjuna Susini
Colours by: Gonzalo Duarte
Letters by: Saida Temofonte
Cover by: Arjuna Susini
Published by: Oni Press
Made Men is going to read wonderfully in trade and if I could jump to that point now I’d give this story a 10. The characters are well realized, the story is engaging and the art is fantastic. Every panel is rendered with love and you can’t help but spend an extra few minutes taking in every detail. My only complaint with this issue is more to do with how ONI expect to make sales. The Sixth Gun for example was well read when it was released as singles a few years ago but sales were nothing compared to how many TPB’s were sold after the series wrapped and critical attention intensified. As a result, issue #2 of Made Men feels like the second chapter of a six issue arc which will hopefully be the first arc of many. It’s just all set up with Jutte showing us how she has brought her team (sort of team) back together after the brutal events of the first issue. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great set up and one that I can’t wait to unpack as the series continues and like all great TV shows it ends on a cliffhanger just waiting to be explored at the beginning of the next issue.
As mentioned previously, each character in Jutte’s team has real personality. Hopefully they’ll all get a chance to be fully fleshed out – especially Leo, because let’s face it – he’s the head and brain of a Lion with a man’s body! Jutte herself is such a good lead. You can empathize with a lot of what’s going on in terms of family heritage and what it means to continue a legacy. The other parts where you are near invincible and your entire squad is killed and reanimated is maybe not as easy to empathize but the emotion is still strongly conveyed with such themes.
Made Men is so full of little references to the Frankenstein story that sometimes it’s hard to fully appreciate the effort Paul Tobin has gone to, to create such a rich and engaging story. Jutte Shelley, our lead protagonist from issue #1 taking the family name Frankenstein is a bit on the nose but still adds to those who grew up reading Mary Shelley’s masterpiece ten times or more.
Overall I have to recommend this issue based on the potential strength of the series as a whole rather that the issue by itself. The writing is still superb and the artwork is fantastic. If you read #1 then pick up #2 right away but if you perhaps missed #1 then perhaps you’ll get even more enjoyment from reading the trade when it’s released
Overall: 8/10
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.
