“Furious” impressed us with an intense first issue, throwing a spotlight on a misunderstood superhero who just wants to do right. But it’s not just the tabloids that denounce her; there are personal vendettas against Furious, and this issue exposes the most terrifying among them.
Written by Bryan J. L. Glass
Illustrated by Victor SantosCadence Lark’s past is riddled with fiery ruin and personal train wrecks, and she’s desperate to prove her worth, if only to herself. As Furious, she must tame her own fears, while ensuring the creeps of the world know justice! When she is signaled to help at a rooftop fire, she heeds the call.
We’re learning Cadence’s past in fits and starts, and the flashback that starts off this issue is the most revelatory one so far. Competing colour schemes differentiate Cadence’s celebrity life and her father’s drunken evening; we quickly learn that, for Cadence’s father, the import of this separation is dire indeed.
More and more, the idea that Cadence is completely alone in her world is being emphasized; more and more, it’s becoming clear that she’ll have to overcome this isolation. But it’s a long road, especially when you’re a controversial superhero, and the central encounter of this issue shows just how dangerous that position can be.
This deadly encounter takes up most of the issue, and feels like something of a departure from the tone of the series so far, if only because it puts a finer point on the hatred against Furious than we’ve seen. The man signalling Furious from a rooftop is a vengeful, misogynist murderer, and has targeted her simply because she’s a female superhero. A fairly one-note character, he resists being talked down when Furious tries a psychological angle, and feels like more of a device, a way to back Furious into a corner, than a properly interesting antagonist.
That said, watching Furious think her way out of the situation is some riveting reading, and we learn more about the nature of her powers along the way. As Furious’ thoughts are laid out in narrating captions – and she takes a good, hard look at her own motivations – Santos takes full advantage of some engulfing flames, coming up with expressionistic layouts that underscore how trapped Furious is. The barriers between panels break down as the encounter intensifies, and we’re left with a splash page that continues the fight with only flames as a backdrop.
All the while, Santos excels at showing how roughed-up Furious is, and the effect is visceral rather than exploitative, getting at the real, physical consequences of the encounter. A bloody-faced Furious gets a fantastic close-up toward the end of the fight, and her expression is dead-on, mingling triumph and self-doubt.
But the best visual moment of the issue comes at the last page, where we encounter Furious’s lookalike. Santos gets across that this character is entirely dissimilar from Furious in everything but appearance, with her mannerisms betraying a completely different personality. Add a disorienting layout and buckets of blood, and this issue ends with a resounding bang, highlighting the magnitude of what Furious is going to have to contend with.
This isn’t the strongest issue so far, but “Furious” is still a powerful tale told with a lot of conviction. We’re witnessing tangible character growth in Cadence Lark, the kind of development that makes a series feel like something weighty and relevant; and at the same time, the emotionality of the narration and art makes it hard not to relate to Furious’s predicament. Brash, bloody, and ultimately cathartic, “Furious” just keeps on surprising us.
Final Verdict: 7.8 – Buy
