Hi Everyone.

This'll be the first runner-up review for October, where I look at a comic that wasn't quite the lowest seller, but cam pretty close.

The 428th best selling comic of October 2013(according to Comichron.com) with 2,832 issues sold was Death Sentence #2, from Titan Comics.

I usually don't do any research on a comic before reading it, but I saw an advert for this issue in A1 #5, which I reviewed as the lowest seller this month. It only gives away the basic premise, but it showed some high praise. I don't know if this counts as research, but I felt I should mention it.

Anyway, let's start with the cover.

Cover:

There's not too much to say about the cover in general, as it's pretty much just these two characters against a coloured background. I'd say that individually these are pretty well drawn characters, but there's a bit of inconsistency between them, particularly in the eyes. They're just drawn in such a different style. I can't tell if there's an actual reason for this. The guitar look a little oddly positioned too.

Also, it's clear that the character on the right is Weasel, as that's pretty much exactly what he looks like in the comic, but this other character is a little less obvious. There are 3 protagonists in this issue, only one of which is female, and she doesn't dress like this. It seems like she would be dressed like this considering that the cutesy hat/exposed bra and chest tattoo look seems to be a symbol of the series, appearing on the first 3 issues. Maybe it's someone else who isn't in this issue or something.

Art:

The art by Michael Dowling is fairly decent in general. It's nothing unusual, and can be a bit angular in places, but it's mostly alright. It has its high and low points, but it's fairly consistent.

The colouring, is mostly good. The colours chosen go with the art pretty well, and the panels with Verity turning invisible are well coloured, showing the combination of her colour and her surroundings.

However, whilst the colour choices are good, some of the application of the colours isn't quite as good. It's a bit blotchy in places, and has some textures and patterns that don't seem to go with the the art.

Story/Writing:

The first page gives us a quick recap of the first issue, and tells us that our 3 protagonists have been infected with G-Plus, a sexually transmitted disease that gives you superpowers, but only 6 months to live. It doesn't say where they got it from though. Upon being diagnosed, Weasel went back to recording music, Monty has "played up to the media" and had sex with a nun, and Verity is wandering depressed in the West End of London.

The issue starts with Weasel playing a gig from his window to a crowd of fans. He takes a phone call, learning that he can't see his son any more, and he angrily throws his guitar into the crowd, injuring a fan. Meanwhile, Verity is shown turning invisible and dripping acid, before being pursued and captured by what I assume is the army. Monty is questioned by the police about his whereabouts on a recent Saturday night, to which he responds with boasts about his sexual encounter with the nun, which is said by the police to be an alleged sexual assault. He "Jedi Mind Tricks" them into letting him go, he urinates in their teapot, and leaves, whilst they pour themselves a cup. Weasel wakes up naked on the floor with a girl who was seen earlier, and they are shown sinking through the floor, one of his powers. When the girl lets go of him, the power is interrupted and she is violently torn in half. Weasel calls a friend for help. Verity is shown waking up an island, and is told by an old woman to come for dinner at a nearby outpost. Weasels' friend Russ arrives, bringing the police with him, forcing Weasel to attack him, and flee.

The dialogue is mostly O.K., but there's a bit too much swearing and vulgar sexual remarks, mostly on the part of Monty and Weasel. I can't tell if we're supposed to like these characters, but for me, Monty and Weasel come across as almost completely unlikeable. Verity seems alright, but there isn't much of her to base an opinion on.

Other Things Worth Mentioning:

22 Pages of comic content for £3.99, with no advertising apart from on the back page.

There is a 1 page fictional magazine interview with Weasel. Seems like an O.K. thing to include if you wanted a little more back story on him.

There is a 5 page guide to making comic books by the writer Monty Nero. It seems kind of odd to me that someone, who according to the Comicvine wiki, has only had 2 full comics, and 2 2000AD stories published, would be in a position to write such a guide. It seems like that kind of thing would be better left to someone with more experience in the comic book industry. It suggests you drink a large whiskey before reading the guide to make it seem more entertaining. For the sake of giving the issue a fair review, I had vodka, as I don't have any whiskey. The guide wasn't entertaining for me, so either he was wrong, or it just specifically has to be whiskey to be entertaining.

Overall:

Overall, I didn't like it. The dialogue is kind of, maybe disgusting is too strong a word, but pretty much that. I found 2 of the protagonists unlikeable, and the third wasn't featured as much. The art was O.K., but not enough that I would buy a comic for it. The inclusion of the cutesy-hatted character on the cover but not in the interior is strange, and the comic making guide wasn't particularly interesting. This isn't a series I'm interested in reading more of, and it didn't live up to the reviews I saw. I have no idea what "Like the best parts of Watchmen" is supposed to mean in relation to this series. I think I'd have to give it a 2/5, but a low 2 (so 4/15).

So has anyone on here read this issue? What did you think of it?

I have one more runner-up review scheduled for this month. For the main October review, see here, and for a list of all the comics I've reviewed, see here.

Scarlotte.