PhenomX #2

PhenomX #2

Image Comics 2021

Script/Plot by John Leguizamo, Aram Rappaport, Joe Miciak

& Damian Slattery

Pencilled by Chris Batista

Inked by Sabrina Cintrón

Coloured by Christopher Sotomayor

Lettered by Andworld Design

As Max’s handler, Agent Michelle Potter pushes him to his physical and mental limits to hone his newfound superpowers. Meanwhile, Max makes some unsettling discoveries about the experiment in which he’s become involved.

I finally figured out why Agent Potter looks so familiar, it’s Wanda Sykes! Now that that’s out of the way let's get onto the issue at hand. I like that Max isn’t fooled one bit and while he may not know exactly what they are up to he knows they are up to something. It’s an integral part of the story for me because while he does need their help learning to understand and control his new powers he is also holding back and not letting them see just how well he can use them or just how powerful he can be. By the same token I’m glad to see how Max talks to his son and lets him know he’s okay and what he’s up to, in part to gain his trust again and in part because he simply loves his son. This relationship is what really gives him the motivation to be the best he can be, he has something to fight for.

I’m a fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are presented exceedingly well. The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a magnificent job continuing to flesh out the personalities that we see. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more of the story the more engaged the reader becomes.

I am liking the way that we see this being structured as well as how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I am also liking the way that these layers open up new avenues to be explored. Between the program and his private life there’s plenty there to explore and even with his brother where the two cross paths. This adds such depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are extremely well handled.

The interiors here are really very solid comic book style interiors. Chris’ linework is impeccable and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work is extraordinary. I like the way we see backgrounds being used to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. That the inking we see is so good that it feels like one person did the pencils and inks shows what a strong art team the book has. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a phenomenal eye for how colour works.

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I like the way that we see this series progressing, sure it’s only two issues in but it has that natural flow to how we see the events unfold. Nothing feels rushed nor does it feel drawn out; it has that right balance to how the story is being told. With some strong intelligent writing and realistic characterisation alongside these dynamic and interesting interiors make this such a delightful read.