1st Impression: SHRUGGED 2 # 4 Review

SHRUGGED 2 # 4
Written Frank Mastromauro

Art by Jonathan Marks, Beth Sotelo & Kyle Ritter
Aspen Comics

FLIPPING THROUGH:

                Theo and his friends are in trouble as a vastly changed Ange and Dev show up in reality to cause chaos and more. As Lou walks in, things go from bad to worse. Yet, as Theo, Lou and the others try to fend off “Dark” Ange and “Dark” Dev, they are blessed with some unexpected help as things continue to worsen in Perspecta.

ART:

                Marks continues to give us a very visually unique style as we continue to get deeper into this miniseries. His line work is a bit rougher this issue than it was in previous issues. While I admit that the rougher pencils were great for the first half of the issue, once the conflict was done, I found them less appealing. They were still good but just felt like they were a bit too rough for the more quiet scenes. Still, Marks unique style continues to keep your eyes focused on his work and is, overall, appealing.

                Sotelo and Ritter continue to come up with the right blend of colors that really realize Marks pencils. The dark battles and darker shades fit the battle with Ange and Dev perfectly. And the colors, looking almost water color like, really work well in the more quiet scenes. A fairly good job.

WRITING:

                Things seem to be going to a strong climax as this issue has Theo and the gang face Ange and Dev. While the battle is going, Theo is showing off his bravery and how much he’s come to care for Lou. Kudos to Mastromauro to have a good battle within a house that is going on while developing a character at the same time. The pacing to the story was strong and flowed well. The characters were a joy to read about and Mastromauro gives some solid dialogue that feels true to teenagers today and true to the characters. I am intrigued to see what happens as our group goes to Perspecta themselves.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

                Great story. The art was kind of up and down this issue but still a decent read.  If the scenes after the battle did not look as rough or rushed looking, this book would have been near perfect.

RATING:

                I give Shrugged 2 # 4 a 7.5 out of 10.