Sheriff of Babylon #2
Vertigo
Written by: Tom King
Art by: Mitch Gerads
The sheriffs are on the case..
Issue one ended with a murder that once Florida cop Christopher Henry is obligated to investigate with the help of now struggling cop, Nassir. The teams first interaction starts off shaky at best but quickly ends up carrying the issue through the beginning of their investigation. We spend some time with Sofia getting a glimpse at her past and the power she has today. I can never do the issues justice in such a quick summary so I’ll leave it vague in hopes of also avoiding spoilers. Just know that the issue is fun, interesting, and gripping leaving the reader with plenty of questions to keep them going.
King and Gerads delivered a strong follow up to their incredible first issue. Again I believe King’s CIA experience adds a lot of realism to a story that could fall a little flat without it. Even without that, King creates really strong characters quickly giving them their own personalities and quirks that can often be overlooked. I see a lot of that in Nassir a man who was a mess in the first issue and spent most of the second acting as a bit of a wild card. Gerads again left nothing to be desired with his incredible art. I will again say that I love the way he shows movement. It’s simple but works perfectly, helping to better paint the picture in my head. His attention to detail and wonderful use of color is really becoming something I look forward to.
I’d like to reiterate that this issue is very strong and the more I go back to it the more I love it, but I’d be lying if I said it was as strong as the first. Don’t get me wrong it’s still well worth the money and time it’s just a little slower, which is to be expected when starting a new series. The issue gave me a very strong buddy cop feel between Chris and Nassir that I’m excited to see unfold in the coming series. It’s great seeing how Chris and Nassir approach the case differently. Chris is a little more rigid and rule following while Nassir is looser, he really seems to improvise as he goes on. I’m excited to see where this series goes because there are a lot of possibilities.