The Vain #02

The Vain #2

Oni Press 2020

Created & Written by Eliot Rahal

Created & Illustrated by Emily Pearson

Coloured by Fred C. Stressing

Colour Assists by Macy Kahn

Lettered by Crank!

It's 1942, and Felix Franklin finds himself on the front lines of the U.S. military during World War II. Meanwhile, The Vain are waging their own war after they make a deal with the FBI to form a spec ops team with one mission: annihilating their opponents. They're out for blood. Nazi blood.

What an utterly delightful book this is. I like the opening here and I have to say the nod to Mission Impossible is fantastic. As is the visage of the man who says it, you’ll recognise him but have a hard time placing him but nonetheless it is kind of exciting to see. I appreciate that this issue delves more into the group and possibly its origin though don’t confuse that with the origin of the four of them because that is something different. I really love the focus we are given in regards to Felix as well, he has very quickly found himself in a special place in the story for me and that doesn’t come all to easy so take that for what you will.

I am thoroughly enjoying the way that this is being told. The story & plot development we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented beautifully. I like how Eliot takes us through this one as well as seemingly showcasing that the four of them are sexually liberated for this time period and that’s a great vibe to pick up on. This of course leads me to the character development we see here. Through their actions and how the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances show us a lot about them. Particularly the women who don’t seem to appreciate restraint. It is fascinating and it just keeps us wanting to know and see more. The pacing is spectacular and it guides us through the pages revealing more about these characters.

How we see the book being structured and how the layers within the story begin to strengthen is extremely nice to see. The time jumping usually annoys a little but here it makes sense because The Vain don’t operate on a regular type of schedule within or outside of the government. I love how see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow.

Emily has a great style to her work and for whatever reason it is, the work is superb for this setting. The past, espionage, and bringing a sense of romance to the book is something that feels like it belongs here. There is some gorgeous moments where the detail work shines, the Eiffel Tower for instance or even the spine we see and it’s these moments that will remain with you. The linework is great and while there isn’t always much difference in weight what we see is beautifully rendered. The utilisation of backgrounds here is very well done and i like how it brings us depth perception, a sense of scale and that 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 show a superb eye for storytelling. The colour work is beautifully rendered as well. I love the colour choices and then to see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work is extremely nice to see. Heck if even the blood and blood splatter in a range of reds, oranges and yellows is beyond what I could’ve hoped for.

This is a phenomenal story and it has so much about it that while steeped in mystery is outwardly violent and chaotic while hiding some romantic qualities just makes me want to see more.