Roadkill Du Jour Issue 2 Review
Inverse Press
Writer: Kevin LaPorte
Artist: Shawn Harbin
Colorist: Laura Guzzo
Reviewer: Ross Rivers
Summary: In this second chapter, DuJour recruits avenging weapons in the forms of NEW misfit members of his Roadkill Motorcycle Club, all the while watched and warded by the witch, Mama Houdoo, and her legion of horrific minions!
Review: Not too long ago, I reviewed Roadkill Du Jour issue one. I said it was a book full of fun and that LaPorte has written the best Wolverine I’ve read in years.
All still true. But issue two is even crazier. Remember the Armadillo? Yeah, that was fun. He ate an armadillo and turned into a giant, badass armadillo.
This time he eats a vulture and goes off to fight a giant catfish. Oh, you read that correctly folks. And they also ride motorbikes.
This issue furthers DuJour’s quest to take revenge on Mama Houdoo, for cursing him and took the woman he loves. Only this time he meets up with his old friend Chucklehead (the previously mentioned Catfish), who has also been cursed.
As we see DuJour’s new crew begin to grow, we see more of Mama Houdoo’s plans, involving the abduction of pregnant women.
The plot here is more interesting than issue one, since we get to see a little more of Mama Houdoo’s plans. In issue one, there was curiosity but it was only really more centered as a revenge comic. My only expectation was that we’d see DuJour and Mama Houdoo involved in a huge, violent fight with magic and feathers.
But now my expectations have risen. This is especially thanks to LaPorte’s writing skills. His pacing is pretty fantastic and the new character, Chucklehead, looks great and seems like an interesting character.
The Southern dialect and slang that LaPorte uses in the dialogue can be a pain and I found myself re-reading several parts just to figure out what was said and keep everything flowing. This does set the mood, but for anybody who’s not familiar with it, there might be a couple of problems.
LaPorte’s writing does have faults, of course. His introductions to characters are especially lacking; there’s just not enough time to get to know anyone when they first arrive on the scene. This may be more to do with LaPorte putting so much content into such a short series, though. Despite that though, the characters are still likeable.
LaPorte’s style manages to be both hectic and decently structured so no matter what the faults; it’s likely going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all works out.
The art is as nice as ever, too. Shaw Harbin’s style perfectly suits LaPorte’s style and he brings a lot of grime and creativity to the table.
I especially like his design for Chucklehead. It’s very reminiscent of classic anthropomorphic heroes from shows like TMNT, Swatkats and, let’s not forget, Biker Mice from mars.
And Laura Guzzo’s colours still remind me of the classic Vertigo books like Hellblazer and Preacher. It fits nicely with the pulp tone of the book and adds some real grit to every panel.
It’s nice to see that issue two has easily matched the silliness and intrigue of issue one and even making it better. I highly recommend this book. It’s nothing game changing for the comic industry but I highly doubt that’s what the team of this book is going for. This is a fun book that is a great antidote to the constant big events and terrible writing from the Big Two right now.
Editor's Note: To pick up a copy of Roadkill Du Jour #2 and the first one along side it. Head on over to the Inverse website!
Inverse Press
Writer: Kevin LaPorte
Artist: Shawn Harbin
Colorist: Laura Guzzo
Reviewer: Ross Rivers
Summary: In this second chapter, DuJour recruits avenging weapons in the forms of NEW misfit members of his Roadkill Motorcycle Club, all the while watched and warded by the witch, Mama Houdoo, and her legion of horrific minions!
Review: Not too long ago, I reviewed Roadkill Du Jour issue one. I said it was a book full of fun and that LaPorte has written the best Wolverine I’ve read in years.
All still true. But issue two is even crazier. Remember the Armadillo? Yeah, that was fun. He ate an armadillo and turned into a giant, badass armadillo.
This time he eats a vulture and goes off to fight a giant catfish. Oh, you read that correctly folks. And they also ride motorbikes.
This issue furthers DuJour’s quest to take revenge on Mama Houdoo, for cursing him and took the woman he loves. Only this time he meets up with his old friend Chucklehead (the previously mentioned Catfish), who has also been cursed.
As we see DuJour’s new crew begin to grow, we see more of Mama Houdoo’s plans, involving the abduction of pregnant women.
The plot here is more interesting than issue one, since we get to see a little more of Mama Houdoo’s plans. In issue one, there was curiosity but it was only really more centered as a revenge comic. My only expectation was that we’d see DuJour and Mama Houdoo involved in a huge, violent fight with magic and feathers.
But now my expectations have risen. This is especially thanks to LaPorte’s writing skills. His pacing is pretty fantastic and the new character, Chucklehead, looks great and seems like an interesting character.
The Southern dialect and slang that LaPorte uses in the dialogue can be a pain and I found myself re-reading several parts just to figure out what was said and keep everything flowing. This does set the mood, but for anybody who’s not familiar with it, there might be a couple of problems.
LaPorte’s writing does have faults, of course. His introductions to characters are especially lacking; there’s just not enough time to get to know anyone when they first arrive on the scene. This may be more to do with LaPorte putting so much content into such a short series, though. Despite that though, the characters are still likeable.
LaPorte’s style manages to be both hectic and decently structured so no matter what the faults; it’s likely going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all works out.
The art is as nice as ever, too. Shaw Harbin’s style perfectly suits LaPorte’s style and he brings a lot of grime and creativity to the table.
I especially like his design for Chucklehead. It’s very reminiscent of classic anthropomorphic heroes from shows like TMNT, Swatkats and, let’s not forget, Biker Mice from mars.
And Laura Guzzo’s colours still remind me of the classic Vertigo books like Hellblazer and Preacher. It fits nicely with the pulp tone of the book and adds some real grit to every panel.
It’s nice to see that issue two has easily matched the silliness and intrigue of issue one and even making it better. I highly recommend this book. It’s nothing game changing for the comic industry but I highly doubt that’s what the team of this book is going for. This is a fun book that is a great antidote to the constant big events and terrible writing from the Big Two right now.
Editor's Note: To pick up a copy of Roadkill Du Jour #2 and the first one along side it. Head on over to the Inverse website!