A terrific follow-up, “Escape From New York” #2 continues the saga of John Carpenter’s lone badass anti-hero with another exciting installment. The action never seems to slow down and the bullets never seem to run out as the one-eyed Snake Plissken manages to cheat death once again with style. Surrounded by off-the-wall characters, you’re rooting for Snake to pull through and shoot them down before he ends up going insane too.
WRITTEN BY: Christopher Sebela
ART BY: Diego Barreto
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 7, 2015
Review By Jorge Solis
For making a fool out of the President, a nationwide manhunt has been called out for the ex-war hero and convict Plissken. Thinking he was on the road to freedom, Snake ends up crossing paths with twin psychopaths. It turns out Florida happens to be in pretty worse shape than the big Apple. With dead bodies hanging from the streetlights, Snake could end up as one of them if he doesn’t somehow manage to break free. If he can get past the trigger-happy boys, Snake has to go one-on-one against Meemaw.
Writer Christopher Sebela delivers a fine sense of rhythm and pacing for dialogue. The zany characters are energetic with their nonstop chatter. The dark humor hits its punchline after Snake responds with a spot-on one-liner. A man of few words, Snake has the best lines in the comic, thanks to Sebela. The dialogue still feels like something Kurt Russell would say in character.
Sebela also makes interesting points about our reluctant protagonist in this issue. Snake has his own moral code and never breaks from his own set of rules, even if a person’s life depends on it. But there is a leadership quality about Snake, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. The fallout from the movie’s ending continues to have a ripple effect outside of New York.
Artist Diego Barreto uses the Florida setting to enhance the background. When Snake passes through the city, people are now living in tents because the economy has gone downhill. He doesn’t even react to the gang turf war going on in the streets. My favorite part of the story is when Snake ends up in the swamps, near the climax.
Barreto’s action sequences keep the panels running at a quick pace.. Notice the detail in the poses as Snake fights Meemax. With each punch, kick, and head-butt, Barreto jumps from one different angles to another to keep the action flowing nicely. Just for the heck of it, Barreto even illustrates Snake kicking an alligator while slugging through the swamps.
An enjoyable read, “Escape From New York” #2 delivers the sequel that many fans have been asking for. Reading the comic makes me want to see both of John Carpenter’s movies again.