Midnighter #2 Review

Written by: Steve Orlando
Art by: Alec Morgan, Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Allen Passalaqua
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: July 1, 2015

Loud Revenge

I am already a fan of Midnighter.  Last month's premiere issue was exciting, mature and a tad bit confusing.  Writer, Steve Orlando, didn't hold any hands and just dropped the reader into Midnighter's world cold and let him sort out the details.  By the end, I wasn't even sure that I liked Midnighter as a hero (or a person for that matter), but I knew I liked the book.  Did this second issue continue the trend?  Does Steve Orlando show us a more tender side of Midnighter?  Will I stop asking questions and get on with my review?  Yes, kind of and a big yes!



Like last month, this issue opens with a cold opening that is not as confusing as the premiere issue's, but is far from straight forward.  We are introduced to Marina, a woman whose husband has recently died because of corporate greed.  A mysterious voice is offering her a way to get revenge and the scene ends with her accepting.  It looks like the someone who stole Midnighter's memories at the end of last issue may have also taken some toys as well.

After a quick check-in with Midnighter that verifies that he came on too strong with his beau last issue, we get back to the matter at hand.  That matter is revenge and while I've been told that's a dish best serve cold, here it's also pretty loud.

Marina has shown up at the business to blame for her husband's death and is climbing the corporate ladder one body at a time using her newly acquired God Garden tech.  That's when Midnighter shows up and tries to stop her.  Unfortunately, Midnighter has ears...for the time being that is.  In what may be the craziest panel I've seen in a very long time, he rectifies that situation and goes after Marina.

After a quick flashback that shows how intolerant people are in Moscow, Midnighter and Marina have their inevitable showdown.  This is where this book shines.  There are no happy endings here. While Midnighter has no problem with Marina's anger, he can't accept her actions.  He takes certain "steps" to make sure things will be dealt with properly and in a book with futuristic tech, this felt very real.  It also sets up Marina to be an ongoing character.

This is not a book that's full of humor, but I can't help but laugh everything Orlando shows Midnighter on a date.  Someones got to tell him that going on and on about your ex is no way to impress anybody, even if your ex is Apollo.  Speaking of Apollo, it looks like the reason they broke up was Midnighters work with the Gardener.  Unfortunately, that work looks far from over.

I liked this issue enough.  It wasn't as good as last month's premiere, but I enjoyed what we got.  I am worried about what appears to be the ongoing story, however.  I hope that I'm wrong, but it looks like we will start getting the God Tech of the Month stories from here on out.

Another thing I didn't like as much as last month was the art.  I really liked Aco's art and for some reason, Alec Morgan has jumped on the book this month.  It just wasn't as good.

Bits and Pieces:

Midnighter was one of my favorite new books of the DC You and while that's still the case, my enthusiasm has gone down a bit.  This issue is pointing towards the type of ongoing story that we've seen too many times before (most recently in Grayson and Lobo) and in a book that promised something very different, that's a bit disappointing.  I give Steve Orlando kudos for not giving this issue a forced happy ending, but in the end, the story and the art were just okay.

6.5/10