It feels like an eternity since Clandenstino #1 droped on an unsuspecting populace. I know I raved about the title then, but with such a long time between issues I had to go back and a re-read issue one just to remember what the heck was going on. Issue #2 does give us a brief synopsis on issue, but the wait is going to make it hard on readers, especially as finding a copy of issue #1 may be a challenge. Still, let’s find out what issue #2 has in store for us.
Clandestino #2 is a fast and frantic journey into the madness that only a comic book can capture. The story is all sorts of gritty, from the tone the book takes to the art employed. Amancay Nahuelpan handles all the books duties so the time between issues makes more sense. Each page has so much going on that you may think that this book is twice as long as it is. While the overall pacing is solid and keeps the action moving, it does sometimes has some structural issues from a narrative perspective that weren’t as present in issue #1.
Action is the main concern in Clandestino and while he is just a regular human being, he comes off as more of a super-powered hero figure than he did in part 1. There are so many times where Clandestino pulls of stunts and kills that seem to bend space and time. Yes, it’s super cool to see, but Clandestino as a story seems to have some identity issues. On one hand we get a cool story about revolution and fighting against an oppressive regime, but on the other hand it’s a gore fest more interested in showing off Mortal Komabt style kills over fleshing out the characters. I like both of these things, but together it doesn’t always work as intended.
The art is once again fantastic, but the story seems to be struggling to keep up with it. The motivations, outside of revenge, are still unclear. The General that serves as the antagonist is a catch-all bad guy whose time in the book serves to break up the action and get really wordy with readers. The world of Clandenstino is quite interesting, but the time period is still very ambiguous. On the one hand there is a great amount of 70s influence, from the art and story elements, but then we have future style technology that has yet to be invented. It’s a weird world that I really hope gets better developed later.
The second half of the book gives us another extended action sequence of Clandestino rescuing his only remaining partner, in what can only be described as a LCD induced montage of death and color. It’s not something you often see, so it quite entertaining, but it will often leave you scratching your head with how some on the action flows from panel to panel. Green arrow sporting mercenaries, bazooka wielding thugs, randomly appearing ninjas, and lots of brains separated from where they belong. It’s a lot of fun, but I think this book could really use another pair of hands on deck to help keep things in order.
We are left on a scene of a tattoo on a severed torso that serves as a camera system back to General Evil McBadguyPants. It’s a confusing mess of an adventure, but one that is hard to put down. Yes, I’m very excited about what is yet to come from Clandenstino as there is a great amount of potential here. I really like Clandestino, but as a story it has problems deciding on what kind of book it wants to be. It’s hard to judge a book that’s only on issue two, but it needs to find its groove soon before people turn away.
Clandestino #2 get my recommendation on the insanity alone, but if you can I highly suggest you find a copy of issue one first.
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