Gerard Way and Shaun Simon’s “Killjoys” continues this month in another fantastic issue. While not quite on the same level as the debut, issue #2 manages to develop the story in some interesting ways and offers enough intrigue to earn your cash.

WRITTEN BY: Gerard Way & Shaun Simon
ART BY: Becky Cloonan
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: July 10th, 2013

“Killjoys” fantastic art by Becky Cloonan is truly one of the biggest selling points of this world. Everything is detailed with such crisp clean visuals that are reminiscent of the best Japanese anime. The newscaster’s gritted forces smile as he’s speaking about Battery City says it all: this book is gorgeous.

While being so beautiful “Killjoys” also manages to be written in such a lyrical style that most of the pages flow with incredible ease. I’ll be honest when I say I was idiotically unaware of the book’s ties to My Chemical Romance upon my review of the first issue.

Now with those influences in mind I feel as if I truly understand the magic of the book. There is a tremendous amount of heart in this creation. The world is expansive, and fully realized with emotion. The introduction of Cheri Cola puts a face to the near perfect disc jockey narration of the book.

His teaming with the girl allows the story to slow down and get immearsed in the world. Gerard Way and Shaun Simon take time to develop a mysterious antagonist, as well as develop a story with some gigantic and beautiful android women from Battery City. What results are three distinct stories in the same world that never run the risk of treading the same ground.

We come to learn more about who the Killjoy’s were, and just what they stood for. We understand more of the goal of the series, and where the overarching threats will emerge. As characters the mysterious Killjoys ooze from every page and manage to intrigue with every new bit of information revealed about them

Cloonan’s art does a lot of the work. The desert wasteland backdrop would almost be breathtaking if it weren’t so drab and arid. The depictions of the Killjoys in the radio station literally jump off the page and scream character without even moving. Cloonan’s sharp lines and big beautiful eyes allow the characters feelings to emote without the words. Something most books struggle to do.

The book runs the risk of collapsing under its own weight. Although I have chosen to remain ignorant to the musical tie ins of the book, I understand some exist. The merits of the book seem to work without the prior knowledge of the characters or of the band. However, I do imagine those familiar will have an easier time understanding the book. The questions raised on these pages are interesting enough to keep the story going for a few more issues, but run the risk of collapsing under their own promise and reliance on previous material. Only time will tell if the story sticks the landing.

Gerard Way and Shaun Simon have created an emotionally invested second chapter of their series that manages to develop the story in some really interesting ways. A few more moments with less exposition and more exploration of the world would have been appreciated, but the series maintains a decent pace.

3.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jimbus_Christ