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“Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt” #2

By | February 28th, 2019
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

The debut issue of “Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt” explored everything great about really heady superhero comics. The issue’s energetic tone and nature were complemented with a sci-fi plot showing the series had depth. Thankfully, the interesting characters and relationships did a great job keeping the series feeling grounded in reality. It certainly helps that lead character Peter Cannon wears a suit outside of his core superhero outfit. The book is written by seasoned comic book writer Kieron Gillen with art from rising star Caspar Wijngaard. Can Peter Cannon retain that sense of wonder and expand on the complicated premise introduced in the last issue without getting too bogged down in the plot?

Written by Kieron Gillen
Illustrated by Caspar Wijngaard
Colored by Mary Safro
Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Humanity is at a crossroads, between life and annihilation. The threat comes not from space, but from a place absolutely inconceivable to anyone other than Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. Only he can take Earth’s remaining heroes to confront that which threatens us all…but when he knows so much more than they do, should he? Also: strike a light, how hot is Tabu now? This is what happens when you give “DREAM DADDY” as the main artistic direction.

It doesn’t take very long for “Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt” #2 to start breaking the rules of comics. The debut issue just barely started crafting the core cast of characters. The issue introduced several complicated plot twists rewriting the way readers interpret the narrative. Peter Cannon himself quickly gets an incredibly complicated backstory before readers learn that he is in a battle with himself in an alternate dimension. This follow-up issue does a great job tackling the cliffhanger headfirst, exploring the most insane aspects of Peter’s backstory leading to the big twist of the evil version of himself. Writer Kieron Gillen has barely started fleshing out the supporting cast of the series, yet they fit various archetypes incredibly well and all have interesting relationships with both each other and Peter.

If the comic was all heady sci-fi tropes, Gillen would potentially have lost readers. Thankfully, Cannon’s relationship with the ensemble cast adds some strong stakes to the issue and gives readers a reason to invest in the narrative. Peter is a cold antagonist and seeing his relationship with Tabu adds a personal element to the narrative that pays off as the issue goes along. One of the weakest links of the series is how little the rest of the core superhero team is missing a more personal, distinctive characterization. The plot is so heady and ambitious, that only so much more narrative and background can be added to the series.

When readers hear about “Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt” there is always strong emphasis placed on comic book superstar writer Kieron Gillen, but interior artist Caspar Wijngaard stretches the medium of comics to the limit. Wijngaard breaks comic book borders and features characters emoting as strong as Gillen’s script calls for. Wijngaard’s expressive figures allow for Cannon to have a more personal touch. The tale is full of beautiful nine-panel grids building loads of tension nestled with brief in-story breaks that allow for the structure of comics to be pushed to the limit. Wijngaard’s depiction of the sequence bridging the Peter’s to various worlds is the stand-out moment of the issue. The way that the different worlds bleed into one is another particularly strong aspect of the title. Gillen’s script asks for some of the wildest visuals Wijngaard could depict in the medium of comics. Somehow, Wijngaard’s pencils are as visually dynamic as the script and a phenomenal complement to the dense writing.

The issue doesn’t just feature heady sci-fi concepts and page layouts. The script is also structured with an intermission halfway through. The break gives some of the concepts and ideas of extra room for Gillen and Wijngaard to make the story more clear. Readers get a better idea of their vision for the title when the core cast start hopping around from world-to-world in search of the other Cannon. The last few pages of the issue do a great job establishing a stronger level of stakes for the issue. The cliffhanger teases another direction for the series that shakes up the narrative. Wijngaard adds more great expression to the dour final sequence leading readers eagerly anticipating the next chapter of the series.

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While Peter Cannon is incredibly fluid and fast-paced, the issue has a great sense of pacing and dialogue. Gillen’s writing deploys a level of confidence and never succumbs to a cheesy or obvious line. It is also easy to interpret what is happening with the story even with the odd phrasing pacing of the title. Wijngaard expertly captures the expressions and movement of the characters. When the story goes for a stronger supernatural twist, Wijngaard interprets the page layouts to match the script. Gillen asks a lot from his artists and Wijnhaard delivers on a script full of creative sci-fi tropes and backdrops. The writing can be slightly obtuse at times and also can be guilty of not exploring each of the incredibly heady ideas to the fullest extent.

Overall, “Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt” #2 continues the trend of being a wildly ambitious superhero comic. Dynamite Entertainment has done an excellent job of getting wildly interesting creators to work on their properties as of late. The impressive creative team matches up with the impressive execution of the script and artwork. Gillen and Wijngaard are crafting an endearing cat-and-mouse game with a fascinating new group of heroes.

Final Verdict: 8.4 – “Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt” #2 is a wildly creative and beautifully rendered sci-fi superhero story.


Alexander Jones

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