(DISCLAIMER: This is an archived article from my time at the gaming/pop-culture website “Escape Zero”. For reasons I won’t fully disclose, most of my articles were removed and the rest were butchered. I would like to note that this was not some sort of personal attack, I was not the only one affected. Nor was it the fault of Escape Zero’s owners. There is no bad blood, I’m simply uploading my work in a place where I know it’s safe. As such, this article is old, and it’s date and timestamp here are not representative. All articles with this disclaimer were written in the latter third of 2019.)
The second issue of Jack Irons, well this is somethin’. This is the first time I’ve had the chance to do a followup to one of my comic reviews. While I had access to both issues, I didn’t actually read the second issue until after I reviewed the first. So my thoughts on it were entirely unfiltered and focused on that one alone. It’s an interesting thing to see where the series went next after detailing all of my feelings on the first. You know when you’re sitting down watching a show or something normally, you’re not writing a full critique after every episode. So you don’t have an in depth analysis of everything it did right and wrong to compare with when you reach the next episode. It’s a unique perspective, to say the least.
I’ll be writing this review as if you’ve read my review of issue one, so check that out if you haven’t already.
I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. At first I was worried it was gonna repeat the mistake that caused my only real problem with the first issue. But not only did it turn out to be even longer (thus allowing for more time), but the creators somehow managed to keep everything that they did right the first time around, and add everything it lacked.
The fun “storyteller” presentation is still intact (which is what initially had me worried it was gonna be more of the same), but it delves into much more recent events as well. So this time we actually get to see the world and how Jack interacts with it. We finally understand what kind of character he is and how those past experiences have shaped him. We also get a lot more information about how the world works.
With so much time now being spent with Jack and other characters we know are currently around and affecting the world, there’s a lot more for the audience to latch on to. The first issue had the problem of basically every character you’re introduced to ending up dead often times on the very same page (even Jack himself in that life). This time we not only get to see those important past events, but also the people they influence now.
Honestly, the turn around from one issue to another was incredible. That’s why I’m coming up a bit short when it comes to the length of this one. Basically every problem was addressed. That, and the fact that about half of the aspects I’d cover in this sort of article were tackled in the last. I mean the art is still just as good, and the writing has only gotten better. Kinda makes me question the approach of reviewing these individually when I have access to more than one.
I can basically recommend Jack Irons without a single caveat now. There’s no reason not to check this out if you’re interested in the setting and story. It’s well made with creators that heed criticism. Many things have been expertly set up, and I can’t wait to see where they go.
I’m gonna give Jack Irons a definite “buy” recommendation. And with the Indiegogo for issue three coming in February, you can support the series going forward if you like it. Check it out, it’s a great read with wonderful art.
