Super Issue 2 picks up pretty much where the first left off. Mark has been captured, but nothing else is shown of that in this issue. Through a number of flashbacks, we see Mark helping a woman who is being assaulted, and we see his mother (a journalist) being escorted by military personnel through dangerous territory in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Surran.

This issue suffers from many of the same problems we previously mentioned. The flashbacks are sudden, with no indication they are starting. If there were some sort of “tell” (such as panel borders changing from straight lines to squiggly lines), it would help alleviate the abruptness. As it is, the switches happens without any warning and makes it hard to follow what is happening.

The dialogue flows poorly in Super Issue 2. There are a few moments where Crowther has fun with the words (such as references to Star Wars and other popular works), but that’s the exception rather than the rule. It felt like B-movie dialogue, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but doesn’t help it in this case.

Super Issue 2 showed very little plot progress. It continued to feel like events and situations were being set up for something big, but no hint was given as to what that might be. We still have no idea regarding the origin of Mark’s powers. We don’t know exactly who his dad is, other than being a scheming man. I think this is part of the reason why I gave up on most American comics back in the day: the story took too long to progress anywhere. That’s a personal taste, though.

All of the inking and coloring was done cleanly. The color choices worked for the story and for drawing attention to where it was needed. The character designs, however, sometimes made it hard to distinguish between the genders in the story. Some of the faces were too dark, as well, especially for the bad guys in the story. This was likely an artistic choice, but it was one I didn’t like.

In the end, Super Issue 2 was not a favorite story. I can see at least a little bit of what Crowther is trying to do, and I think it’s great he is getting to tell his story. If you are a fan of mildy-superhero-ish stories, check this out.

Release Date: April 9, 2015 (USA)
ISBNs: none
Publisher: Jay Crow Comics
Language: English

Review copy kindly provided by the publisher.

MySF Rating: Three point zero stars
Family Friendliness: 80%

Content:

Alcohol/Drugs: 0
Language: 1 (occasional minor, one stronger)
Nudity: 0
Sexuality: 0
Violence: 1 (implied rape, gunfights, domestic violence, knife attack, rocket attack)