Cry Havoc #2

Cry Havoc, Issue #2 begins in the Red Place, a prison cell within a black ops site in Afghanistan.  It's a very non-linear and dense comic.  For instance, the title of the comic is a play on the line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, "Cry, 'havok!' and let slip the dogs of war."  This has a number of meanings.  The main character, street musician, Louise Canton, is attacked by a werewolf-type creature, perhaps becoming one (and spawning one).  Then there are the scenes in Afghanistan, where there are unique soldiers, civilians: "we are all special here," says one of them in Issue #1.

In my last review, of Wayward, Issue #14, I defined art/literature as difficult and rewarding.  That's Cry Havoc in a nutshell.  Cry Havoc, when it becomes a trade paperback, might not be as rewarding because you really have to read it issue by issue.  I'm really excited to see how it turns out.  In Issue #1, there were hints of an all-monster platoon of soldiers, but that idea has come to fruition in Issue #2; we see the platoon in action.

The lettering of Simon Bowland has really grown on me.  It almost looks like an Arial font when it isn't bolded and italicized with the stress of combat.  Both Issue #1 and Issue #2 have a bird in the background of one of the Afghanistan frames.  At first I thought it was a bald eagle, but it looks more like a corvid or some similar Asian bird.  Maybe it's a different bird in each issue.  Of the artwork, I liked the were-boar the most.  The Icelandic soldier that becomes the giant boar is a great character, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him, as I'm looking forward to reading more of this comic.  Recommended.  (I bought the variant cover by Fiona Staples, pictured above right.)