SPY ISLAND # 2: CALL TO THE KRAKEN
DARK HORSE COMICS
CREATORS: CHELSEA CAIN & LIA MITERNIQUE
WRITER: CHELSEA CAIN
ARTIST: ELISE MCCALL
COLORIST: RACHELLE ROSENBERG
LETTER: JOE CARMAGNA
There is something that appeals to me about Spy Island. It could be how it never seems to take itself too seriously. Or the nostalgic era it harkens to. The abundance of moving plots and characters creates just enough air of intrigue to make this comic into a refreshing libation.
Cain and Miternique have provided a perfect mixture of rationality with unfortunatenous and a dash of absurdity and the results go down quite pleasantly. I got hints of 70s sitcom. Nora plays off Harry comically, her put downs mark her as the alpha in their arrangement. Checking the title page, I see the curious Doug Something and wonder how no one can know he’s a spy. The Bermuda Triangle is a character on it’s own. Allowing for such randomness already, it makes the perfect location for disturbing events. Easy to explain away, but requiring spies to investigate.
Although it is in the middle of the Triangle, the island is still a paradise. Rachelle Rosenberg takes the opportunity to highlight the beauty of the nighttime beach. You can hear the sea calling as Nora and her sister walk along the waters edge. This issue establishes the setting for the series. Dimly illuminated, you realize how isolated the island’s inhabitants truly are.
The “wall” breaks are used wisely. Not overdone but in step with the issue. Nora detailing Connie’s purse (that she didn’t go through) shows this comic knows when to use a break out segment.
The Call to the Kraken presents the chance to deepen the spy game that surrounds recent events on the island. The missing boy from the beach is just one of them it would seem. Based on her philosophical pillow talk, Nora is searching for a deeper meaning to her sisters arrival. Spy Island is a series with so much mystery like the island it takes place on.