Reviewed by Taylor Hoffman // @taylorcheckers
‘We Can Never Go Home’ #2 perfectly captures the frustration and pure angst of growing up as an outcast. Matt Rosenberg and Patrick Kindlon get it and communicate that anxiety of needing to escape. This second issue strikes at the heart even harder than the first, it’s action supplying raw and guilt-ridden catharsis. It’s such a deeply personal story that resonates with the rest of the weirdos out there. Plus, it’s poignant storytelling with a killer soundtrack. This issue brings more drama than in the cafeteria and our leads are pushed to unexpected limits. It’s hard to rave about it without too many spoilers. Let’s say, they’ve got to get money somehow and now it’s “Drug-Stabbing Time” and “The Youth Are Getting Restless.”
Story By: Matthew Rosenberg, Patrick Kindlon
Art By: Josh Hood
Colors By: Amanda Scurti
Publisher: Black Mask Comics
Release Date: 5/6/2015
Price: $3.99
Even if we can’t relate directly to the bloodshed Duncan and Madison’s escape is something that was the stuff of dreams of getting out of the relentless cycle of high school politics that bleeds into real life. These are familiar characters, but forget The Breakfast Club, this is full swing Heathers and True Romance. Duncan and Madison must run away and the only hope they have is that that life will be better because anything is better than going home. There’s no room for hesitation, no time to pack, no time to look back.
Rosenberg and Kindlon don’t pull any punches, these characters are fucked up, but still grounded in an all too familiar reality. Duncan isn’t full Christian Slater and doesn’t step into Tyler Durden territory –– he’s, so far, not a psychopath or sociopath. He’s just a kid who’s been through too much to take any more shit. Meanwhile, Madison’s home life isn’t exactly the best, either, plus her friends are the worst anyway, so what’s a girl to do except leave? Her last time going home is absolutely heart-wrenching. That scene stands out specifically because the dramatic irony is so brilliantly layered and it’s bittersweet at its finest.
It’s all about power, and, more importantly, questioning what that word really means. What would really happen if someone found out they had powers? How does that change a person’s morality? Bullies who pick on the quiet ones stand no chance when faced with a gun or super strength. With nothing left to lose and a full tank of gas, our duo is even more dangerous as the ones they’re fleeing, but the key difference is that they want to use the powers they wield for good. They’re not trying to be Superman, but they’re trying to make it a better place by eliminating the evils in their lives. Their powers are pubescent outlets of anger, physical manifestations of the terribly foreign feelings inside, and neither of our protagonists know their true strengths yet.
Jason Hood’s art is phenomenal and brought to life by Amanda Scurti’s vivid coloring. There’s no clutter on any page, which contributes to the naturally fast pacing. Everything looks real in a Cliff Chang sort of style that includes everything from the lightning coming from Madison’s eyes to that slight blush on Duncan’s cheeks.
We’re left on an even more intense cliffhanger than before as any illusion of safety is at risk yet again. Now it’s all about the consequences and justifications. All we can do is wait in anticipation for the next issue and listen to some Missions of Burma and “hope that all’s not lost and this is not a waste.”