Comic Review: Blackbird #2

Blackbird #2

Image Comics

Writer: Sam Humphries

Artist: Jen Bartel

The second issue of Blackbird shows us once again women truly are the best detectives. Whether it’s a hot piece of information, an exclusive pair of shoes or hidden magic, Nina’s sleuthing skills are top notch.

Instead of being heartbroken over Marisa’s kidnapping, Nina instead receives validation that she was right all along. Much of her anxiety and likely a huge source of addiction lies beneath the fact that she definitely witnessed magic 10 years ago. Although the readers never doubted what Nina saw, her knowledge and persistence has clearly driven a wedge between her and her remaining family.

Many panels in this issue are flashbacks, which is no surprise since much of Nina’s backstory the past 10 years will be significant to her paragon sightings now. Her dad, whom we see little of, is an absent alcoholic who has been engaged in his long-standing battle with addiction since the death of their mother. It’s through Nina’s interactions with her father that we see she and Marisa grew close after her mom’s death despite how little they seem to get along now.

While the first issue of Blackbird only gave us a glimpse of the magical world, this issue dropped us (and Nina) in a bit more abruptly and showed us just how much of a party we’re missing out on. I appreciate the way Humphries shows us how his magical world functions. Nina has tons of background knowledge because of the research she’s done the past decade, but Humphries doesn’t drown the reader with all this information.

While the story is exciting, Bartel’s art steals the show. The vivid colors are probably my favorite part of the entire series so far, giving each issue kind of an 80s vibe.  The lines are clean and each panel focuses on the characters, allowing them to really pop off the page. Bartel depicts the characters as trendy, beautiful, and emotional and so much is said outside of the speech bubbles.

The storyline is a tad bit jumpy, but overall it’s easy to follow. A hidden magical world within ours is obviously not a brand new concept, but Humphries’ depiction of magic is unique and something I’m looking forward to reading more of.