Writer: Kaare Kyle Andrews
Artist: Kaare Kyle Andrews
Letterer: Jeff Powell
Cover: Kaare Kyle Andrews
Publisher: Image Comics
Load your knifey-guns, the mission’s far from over!
Season Two of Renato Jones continues with one of its most well-rounded issues yet. Nicola Chambers sits in the highest office in America, enacting executive orders. Andrews doesn’t bother hiding his feelings here, using real Trump-ian legislature as Chambers’ evil plan. Answering to the shadow council pulling his strings, he promises to destabilize environments, economies and peace to position the ONE% for global domination.
Meanwhile, Renato Jones sits staring out his bedroom window after indulging in temptations of the flesh. He feels that even after all he’s done, evil has still prevailed. It’s a relatable concept, feeling helpless as you watch giants steamroll the “little people”. This opens him up to being dressed down by his mentor, Church, who reminds him that the problem won’t just go away.
We also check in with Cameron, the server Renato rescued in the very first issue. She’s been trying to make it through daily life without returning to work for the filthy rich. Her character is fleshed out with the help of the supporting cast, who goad her into attending a soiree hosted by Bliss Chambers.
Through all these different scenes Andrews’ narration uses a metaphor, to great effect, likening our lives to that of the fish who scale waterfalls just to be thrown back down to try again. It’s a dark allegory, but it perfectly relays the feeling of hopelessness that runs through this issue.
The art is pretty standard for anyone who’s been keeping up with this title. Kaare doesn’t waste a single line, using the same sparing style he’s made his own. Figures are draped in shadows, conveying the darkness inside and surrounding them. He’s used a similar “weathered paper” texture in this series as he did in Iron Fist. Andrews superimposes characters over the textured art in the background, showing both flashbacks and expertly conveying the characters emotions. He also has some genuinely funny moments worked into the panels that I enjoyed.
Even though there wasn’t much action in this instalment, this was still one of my favourite issues of the series. There is some compelling character work that adds new depth to almost all of the main cast. Excellently paced, it had me hungry for the next issue, and even wanting to go back and reread the whole series.
Overall: 9/10
New England born and raised, it didn’t take long for Adam Kubert’s “Wolverine” covers, early 90’s Image Comics and Marvel trading card sets to infect my brain. Consuming all things comic, video game, and cartoon-related, I’ve always had the drive to create worlds of my own, becoming a digital designer, a music producer/performer and a flourishing writer. Some of my earlier work can be found at smartassortments.com
