Four Eyes #2

FINALLY! Issue number two of Four Eyes is out and, no surprise, it's all kinds of wonderful. The characters and premise were laid out beautifully in the first issue and here the story gets moving. This issue Enrico makes a fateful decision to breed dragons for fighting just like his old man. Whether this decision will lead to tragedy or his, and his family's ultimate redemption is yet to be seen, but getting to this point looks to be a thrilling journey. Joe Kelly is on a role with his creator-owned work, I Kill Giants, Bad Dog, and this book. I Kill Giants also deals with the psychological ramifications of family tragedy on children and while they're in separate times and settings, they both have a lot in common. Kelly understands what losing a parent can do to a child and how that can have significant impact on how he/she sees the world. The boy throughout the issue steadily gets angrier at the world for keeping him out, whether it's keeping him from the truth of dragon fighting, or keeping him from becoming a dragon breeder. He wants so much to prove himself and keep his family together with the loss of his father he would do anything.

The art in this issue was worth the wait. Fiumara's rendering made the dragon fight literally jump out of the page. The intensity of it all was just amazing, breath-taking. His characters designs are on the stylized and angular side but makes the realistic rendering of the dragons themselves stand out that much more.

If you haven't read the first issue, go find it and then pick this one up as well. This series is off and running and I CAN wait another six months for the next issue if it stays at this high a quality.