Behemoth #2 is written by Ryan Engle and Grant Sputore and published by Dark Horse Comics. Artwork and colours by Jay Martin and letters by Frank Cvetkovic.
Behemoth #2 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Tensions run high on the bus inside the Behemoth. Detective Jack does his best to keep the passengers from turning on one another, while food-truck-chef Sara does what she can to help her gravely injured friend Manny. An ambulance provides hope for medical supplies and radio contact with the outside world, but they’ll have to traverse a lake of acid in order to get to it.
Review
Issue one of Behemoth was a fun read. It was straightforward and to-the-point leaving no filler at all, which worked in its favour but also was to its detriment. However, now that the initial setup is all out of the way, the series now has breathing room to take the concept that intrigued readers to begin with and run with it.
Does issue two do this? Well thankfully you’ll be glad to know the answer is a resounding yes.
After being swallowed by the titular beast, Sara and rest of the passengers of the bus must work as a team to find their way out and help her friend Manny who is badly injured. The other passengers range from a polite nurse named Naomi to a detective called Jack who immediately takes charge of the situation. This issue does a great job of quickly establishing each character at play and showcasing the dynamics between them.
As is the case with a disaster movie style setting, there are initial problems and arguments that arise between the group but they are all swiftly pushed aside as they collectively work towards a common goal. Some characters play up to stereotypes you would expect to see in this scenario such as a businessman who only cares about his survival and no one else’s. Though it is a very overplayed trope it does work here and is where the majority of tensions come from within the group.
Behemoth also wastes no time at all with throwing these characters into near death situations and sacrificing some individuals along the way. Whether it’s Jack, Sara and Charles attempting to find medical supplies in a nearby ambulance for Manny or the group running for their lives from a horde of a parasitic creatures similar to those that fall from the creature in Cloverfield, Engle and Sputore continually crank up the stakes in new and intense that naturally progress the story forward rather than halting it for the sake of a suspenseful moment.
Similar to the first issue, there are some truly visceral panels to be found in Behemoth and Jay Martin’s artwork really make these instances of brutality pop out of the page. A lot of these moment come out of the blue and his illustrations and colouring will take you by surprise in the best of ways.
This series continues to present ideas and tropes we have seen before but handles them all with a sense of urgency and intensity that gives Behemoth a bit of its own, grungy personality. It helps the series standout from all the other disaster/kaiju stories we’ve seen throughout the years whilst a sense of familiarity at the same time.
Verdict
After a simple but effective opening issue, this second instalment really hits the ground running and makes the most of the concept that drew readers here in the first place.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
