Klarion #2 Review

Written by: Ann Nocenti
Art by: Trevor McCarthy
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: November 12, 2014

Carry On

I have spent the entire time on our site reviewing Ann Nocenti books.  If you've been keeping score, I have a love/hate relationship with Ann.  On one hand, her writing is terrible.  On the other hand, her writing is hilariously terrible.  Her stories make no sense, her dialogue is ridiculous, her characters are one dimensional and I have so much fun reading them.  It's like a train wreck that I can't turn away from.  Last month's premiere issue of Klarion wasn't great, but it just might have been one of the better issues she's written in years.  That last sentence still confuses me.  What gives?  Did she find a character and a story she has a good grasp on and might actually write a book that people will enjoy?  Fear not, this second issue gets back to the usual Nocenti magic.



I usually use this space to explain what went on in the book.  I'm still not sure what went on in this issue.  Klarion is in it.  His friends Rasp and Zell are there too.  It starts with a story of a daddy longlegs, continues with Klarion and Rasp fighting and ends with Zell and Klarion kissing.  In the middle we get a bad Spiderman joke, thoughts on the internet, an episode of My Drunk Kitchen: Demon Edition, the hot new tech toy of the Christmas Season and a sexy weird cliffhanger.  I wish I could tell you to read it for yourself, but I really don't want to be responsible for something like that.  It really is that bad.

As bad as the writing is, i really like Trevor McCarthy's art.  Anyone who works off a Nocenti script should get combat pay because they are definatley knee deep in the shit.  McCarthy does one of the best jobs I've seen on a Nocenti book.  Him and colorist Guy Major do a great job of setting the mood of the magic/tech world.

Bits and Pieces:

It only took two issues to get back to the Nocenti I know and love.  Klarion is not the most well known character and I still have no idea what's going on with him or this story.  It's already a jumbled mess of awful dialogue and situations.  I did like Trevor McCarthy's art which sets the mood of the book perfectly.  However, once you get past the pretty art, you'll want to get out quickly.  I feel bad for Klarion fans because this isn't the book he deserves.

3.5/10