“Mayday” #2 does not for one second let us forget its time and place. Curt Pires’ books are very much a product of the present. They have a here and now quality that elevate them to the status of historical document; future generations that study the attitudes and sensibilities of the early 21st century would find in “Mayday” a perspective widely acknowledged but rarely articulated as perfectly as Pires is able to say it. What’s more, this issue is good old fashioned grindhouse fun with just enough surreal horror to haunt your dreams. If you haven’t got the message yet: “Mayday” #2 is really good.
WRITTEN BY: Curt Pires
ART BY: Chris Peterson
PUBLISHER: Black Mask
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: May 27, 2015
This issue begins at a hollywood party, reminding us of the most prevalent themes from issue one (loneliness, disillusionment with the Hollywood social scene, art vs. identity, death) briefly before giving most of the attention to Terrence and Kleio. As the unlucky duo races across town, forming a plan, gun shopping, and filling up on liquid courage, I’m reminded of an concern I had about “POP”, Pires last mini-series: the characters that drive the story forward are the least interesting characters.
All of their dialogue serves the plot, and we really don’t have anything to hold on to or any reason to like them. They are the heroes because they are fighting evil, but when I think back on these books the “protagonists” are never what I think of, that may be very well be intentional, but if the villains represent forces that oppress and cultures that poison us, the protagonists should be more relatable and empathetic, because they’re us. By the end of the issue this may be a moot point, we’ll see.
Chris Peterson does some fantastically subtle things with the billboards as they are driving around, some that I didn’t catch until my second pass, and the two page blood spider bit was incredibly effective at attaching itself to my brain even if I don’t know what the fuck is going on. This may just be a matter of taste, but I find his character work to be a little distracting.
They aren’t bad and the detail is fantastic, but they are overly emotive, almost to the point of mugging, especially Kleio in the car. It looks too cartoonish and comes across like he doesn’t trust dialogue and context to convey the emotion and really has to plaster it on their faces.
I love occult stories, and Benecio Del Cocaine is that perfect level of passion and mania, every time I see him I want more, I want to know what kind of sick shit he does all day and what his master plan is. “Mayday” is such a surreal visual spectacle and strong sense of identity I guarantee you’ll want to revisit it again and again as the world around us gets stranger and stranger. “Mayday” pulls the velvet curtain back to reveal madness and desperation behind what we all fantasize about.