SPACE RIDERS IS BACK! Issue #2 has finally dropped its beautiful self in my hands. I couldn’t stand the excruciating wait, it felt like an eternity. This comic is so damn fun that it’s hard to review. There’s only so many way I can tell you that you need “Space Riders” in your life, it will complete you, it will fill the gaping hole in your heart, and it’s a dream come true. It’s that good.
WRITTEN BY: Fabian Rangel Jr
ART BY: Alexis Ziritt
PUBLISHER: Black Mask Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: May 13, 2015
Let’s get into the nitty gritty of it, Space Riders #2 suffers no drop in quality. If you loved it the first time around you’re only getting more of what’s good. The plot is a bit slower this time, not by much though. The first half of this issue we find out the pasts of each of our 3 heroes. Who they once were and how they all ended up here and now as crew members of the Santa Muerte. Mono and Yara’s backstories offer intensely intriguing looks back that also flesh out the universe at large a wee bit. While Captain Peligro’s is formulaic at its base Fabian’s beautiful way with words and Alexis’s gorgeous art make it entirely unique.
A couple brilliant side characters are also introduced this issue, including a radical wizard and a ‘cosmic leviathan’ that’ll blow you away. Early in the issue we’re also treated to a pack of miscellaneous monsters that are all exceptionally fun to look at. Alexis Ziritt’s style is absolutely unrivaled in the current comic book climate. His insane style radiates intensity and causes vibrations of awesome that will rock your bones. It’s a neon soaked wet dream, and not the kind that you hate, but one that you enjoy every minute of.
Honestly there’s nothing in this book that’s not fun. Literally every page is a visual treat, I cannot stress the sheer beauty of it enough. The plot is rich in pulpy goodness with at least half a dozen solid laughs. There’s a coffee joke that everyone should read before they die, it had me in stitches.
Space Riders is a special beast, nothing else compares to its brand of fun. It’s a visually impressive acid trip into a live wire space universe populated by incredibly developed characters. It’s something that has been missing from comics. It’s the 80’s Saturday morning cartoon but pumped full of hallucinogenic awesomeness. It’s pure gospel with 25 of the best pages you’ll read in your life. Really, the greatest tragedy of all is that now it’s half over, but that last half of the ice cream bucket is always the best anyway.
This book is actually a 20/5 so please disregard the 5/5 rating below.