Comics: Breathless #2 - Reviewed






The second issue of this horror comic does not disappoint! Breathless #2 is full of action, intrigue and suspense. We follow Scout and Grace-Eisley as they come face to face with the monsters roaming free at Sweet Hollow Laboratories. While Scout likes to remain calm and think things out rationally, Grace-Eisley reacts before thinking. As Scout is telling her associate to slowly back up so they won’t get eaten, Grace-Eisley screams causing the monster chase after them. The two of them run into a nearby room and lock the door behind them. Again, Scout is thinking calmly and rationally and discovers they are in the acquisition unit’s armory. She tries to get Grace-Eisley to calm down enough to see where they are, but she is too scared. Eventually she notices the weapons around the room, which should have calmed her down but instead made her more irritated as she reveals that she doesn’t know how to use any of them. Grabbing a grip-whip, she uses it against the monster without thinking, allowing Scout the opportunity to shoot it dead in its tracks. As they flee the building, Scout notices something sinister. The gate was locked, leading her to believe they were targeted and the monsters were purposely led there. When they discover more monsters at Claire’s house and again at Scout’s house, she knows she is right. She has a suspicion on who would want her dead, but she doesn’t want to believe it. What will happen when they find out she’s still alive?

I enjoyed being able to see a little more of Grace-Eisley’s character, and what her personality is like. She may come across as weak, but she is a strong woman who truly cares about others, especially those she loves. It brought a smile to my face when she was fighting the monster with Scout and suddenly started freaking out with worry over her girlfriend Claire, expressing her concern that Claire might be in a worse spot than them and be needing help. Another interesting character to me is the monster itself, known as a Drinker. We discover more things about them this issue, such as they are blind and mostly deaf, but extremely good hunters. They like to wait out their prey and then go in for a quick kill. They can travel 24 miles an hour and leap very far, and they look like a cross between the monster on Stranger Things and Alien.

I was delighted to see more fighting with the monster in this issue. The illustrations by Renzo Rodriguez are superb. I love the graphic detail, and the vibrant and dynamic colors by Mara Jayne Carpenter pull you in on every page. The two of them make a great team. The writing by Pat Shand is wonderfully expressive, especially when Scout describes how it feels to not have asthma anymore. This has quickly become one of my favorite new comic series, and if you have not started it yet, I highly recommend picking it up. Breathless #2 is available for purchase May 2, 2018.

-Amy Walker-LaFollette