Abbott #2
BOOM! STUDIOS
Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Illustrator: Sami Kivelä
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Lettered by: Jim Campbell
Release Date: 2/28/18
Abbott #2 picks up right when Elena ran into something that was trying to kill her. She has no idea what or who this is, but she feels like she’s digging in the right places to find the truth in the murder she is writing about that happened in the last issue. This issue does a fine job of blending in the weird and supernatural stuff that we saw bits of in the previous issue. Elena even goes to someone from her past that is far more in tuned with these sorts of things. The attacker left a cut on her arm, which has everyone worried about her safety. So much so that even her boss Fred is asking her to take it easy on this story for now and focus on an easier piece. He’s not telling her to give up, he just cares for her health and safety as he says she looks like hell after everything she has gone through in the past day. I really enjoy these little bits between Elena and Fred. Fred is the kind of boss that fights for his workers, even against his own bosses. He’s always looking out the best for Elena given the way society is at this time for someone like her, she’s not going to get an equal look from her superiors that are above Fred. Even with the attack, Elena refuses to give up and I absolutely love her fighting spirit.
Towards the end of the issue, we get this great conversation between her and a woman named Amelia. The way they speak to each other seems to come off as if they were past lovers. She’s not happy meeting her but what is nice is how the conversation never really escalates to brawl. So it’s great to see that Elena can keep her head cool even in situations where she’s dealing with personal feelings. The art also continues to be great going hand in hand with the stories tone and feel. The way the colors feel dark have a great effect when Elena is in certain atmospheres such as a solitary room at work, the night lighting in the bar, or when one of these hauntings appear and how everything around her just goes black. I also really enjoyed the little details on Amelia’s sleeve’s that go with her dress.
Abbott is doing a fine job building upon its mystery. Although we don’t get any real solid follow up on her story, we still get to see how Elena handles herself, as the situation seems to only be getting worst. It leaves me wanting more not just for the mystery, but just seeing these characters interacting with each other feels great and makes me care about all of them.