Comic Review: Marvel Knights 20th #2 Review

Marvel Knights 20th #2

Marvel Comics

Story: Donny Cates and Matthew Rosenberg

Art: Niko Henrichon

This book is a bit of a strange one. While I’m reading it I find myself having fun, and I’m mildly intrigued by the mystery. Once I put it down though, I find myself wondering what the point of it all is. I’m not the kind of reader who feels that every book must mean something to the larger Marvel universe, yet I can’t shake the feeling that this book should be bigger, or at least more clear on its intent. However, with my broader expectations put to the side, this issue is admittedly enjoyable on its own, if not a bit meandering.

This issue picks up where the last one left off, with Matt and a ghostly Karen Page on a rooftop. Whenever I flipped to the reveal last time, I rolled my eyes. Resurrecting a beloved character from a hero’s past is no longer shocking or interesting, however, this issue puts a nice twist on it. I was actually intrigued by Karen’s return, as the first and last scenes of the issue deepened the mystery in a subversive way. After the meeting between Karen and Matt, we see Frank and Bruce’s first interaction and subsequent team-up.

The initial set-up scenes are mostly well done, with natural and flowing dialogue that unfortunately gets a bit long in the tooth by the end of the police station scene. In the first half of the issue, there are two scenes back to back in which the point of them is  simply “I don’t know what’s going on, who am I?” Which normally would be a fine setup, but unfortunately the rest of the issue is a fight scene which only serves the purpose of having another character ultimately conclude “I don’t know what’s going on, who am I?” It’s a very well-constructed fight scene, but it doesn’t seem to serve any purpose in the overall plot. Especially not when considering how many pages said fight scene covers. While the plot is meandering a bit, Rosenberg still demonstrates a strong sense of characterization. The characters are, of course, different from what we’re used to, but he keeps throwing in touches of their old selves that are bubbling below the surface of this dreamlike world.

Though the story is repetitive, this issue luckily has a saving grace by the name of Niko Henrichon. That’s not a name that shows up often, so if you find yourself on the fence about buying this issue, let it be that name that pushes you over the edge. Henrichon’s rough style is perfect for this kind of story. I especially love how he draws these dark and sketchy backgrounds, as it almost makes it seem as if the darkness is creeping up on the foreground.  He also has a knack for dropping the backgrounds out of action panels at just the right moment, effectively controlling the pace. The colors, also done by Henrichon, capture the mood of each scene perfectly, sometimes even reflecting the characters’ state of mind.  On top of all that, he draws one hell of a Daredevil.

Marvel Knights #2 still hasn’t quite inspired the confidence in me that this creative team should have by this point. It’s certainly not bad by any means, it’s actually quite fun to read, but it leaves you feeling empty and unsure. With Henrichon off pencils next issue, I’m going to need to see a significant improvement in the story department to get me to stick with this book. Now is the time for some reveals, not more questions.