“Knives and Shadows”
Creative Staff:
Story: Cullen Bunn, Heath Amodio
Art: Sami Kivela
Colors: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
The Heathens chase the scorpion into its hole and find themselves surrounded by snakes. Can five alphas stay together long enough for the entire pack to make it out alive?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
AfterShock’s latest project got underway with the pairing of Cullen Bunn and Heath Amodio writing with Sami Kivela on the artwork in the opening issue to solid results. It’s a good team that’s come together that’s made better with Jason Wordie’s colorwork and the result is a book that plays in a familiar field but with some really nice execution and style to it. Bunn and Amodio work through the setup quickly and effortlessly here so that we know the deal and who everyone is by name and pushes us right into things. Kivela’s artwork is really good here, covering a number of periods and designs for the cast, and the layouts keep it moving fast and in an engaging way.
While the first issue was pretty straightforward, this installment takes a bit to reconnect with and get into. Part of it is that I wish they had a page to remind us who the team is and their names since it’s a mix of characters and most of them almost never use names here. What we get is the team that had been dropped into where a lot of the rank and file bad guys are and it’s a lot of running and fighting going on between the two sides. The guys largely handle themselves well and we see how Shih splits off toward the end on her own pursuit toward their larger target. But everyone knows what they’re doing so it’s not a problematic moment but one where everyone knows the other in the team is talented and capable, even if they’re not exactly team players.
What we get within this fight that largely covers the entire issue is backstory for each of the characters along the way. When they have their moment in the present we get a differently-colored flashback showing off some of their key material from the past, such as Billy seeking revenge for those that killed the man that took him in, or some of the basic fighting that Marzano got involved in or how Bump was handling the negotiation of a particular thing in his past. They’re useful moments that make clear some of their personality and all, but I wish that it had been just a bit clearer ahead of it or in the dialogue as to who is who since so much of what we get is a chaotic mess of action. Great looking action against largely generic thug types and all, but chaotic nonetheless. Everything services what it needs to well here, and I suspect that if read it right after the first issue most of my problems wouldn’t even exist.
In Summary:
Heathens moves forward a bit here but not by much. Most of it is focused on the action side of it as that’s what factors into both the flashback sequences and what the present is largely about. Which is fine as it’s one way to carry the narrative into new directions and it does it well here. The flashback pieces do give us a better sense of who each of the characters are that were recruited in the opening issue but I wish there was just a bit more of a nod to those that read monthly by including names just a little more so that you’re not trying to find the past issue to remember who is who. It’s a solid book with really enjoyable artwork and a lot of things going on. I suspect it’ll get sharper in focus as it moves along, however, and that’s when things will really kick into gear.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: AfterShock Comics
Release Date: December 15th, 2021
MSRP: $3.99
