Comic Review: Murder Falcon #2

Murder Falcon #2

Image Comics

Writer and Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson

Colorist: Mike Spicer

Murder Falcon #2 sees Jake and the titular, mystical warrior bound to his guitar continue their heavy metal quest against the evil Magnum Khaos. This issue also implies that the series will be more of a team book going forward. Jake runs into Johann, the bassist of his old band. Impressed with Murder Falcon, he insists on teaming up with them. This puts them in search of the bass that has the same powers as Jake’s guitar. While this issue lands a few more jokes, it’s still lacking when it comes to the characterization and more serious elements.

A major part of the issue is Johann and Jake’s interactions, as the latter tries to make up for all the times he failed his close friend. Johann is much more enthusiastic about fending off otherworldly monster than Jake is. Though I don’t think the bassist recently lost his wife. Similarly, Johann does come off as a little callous towards Jake. By his own admission, Jake did neglect his responsibilities and Johann points out he did hurt his friends in the process. Nonetheless, your wife dying of a terminal illness isn’t something you just shrug off. It forces the reader to wonder if there was more to Jake’s band falling apart than just that grief.

Murder Falcon #2 is exposition heavy, despite an apparently simple premise and how much the first issue tried to establish. This book doesn’t do anything particularly unique in terms of setting or character, at least not yet. The attempts at more mature themes are still clumsy, as best shown by the transition from Johann and Jake’s hijinks to Magnum Khaos feeding off of various horrific real-world events. Thankfully the art of Murder Falcon is considerably more memorable. Its unique style is a perfect fit for the premise. The sheer spectacle of the art offsets the lack of substance. It is spot on when it comes to the action scenes, designs, and locales. It also handles the emotional moments well, more so than the actual writing.

Murder Falcon #2 is far from a course correction but it’s at least improving. The story does suffer from a lack of a compelling protagonist or a distinct setting. But it’s at least now providing a more promising story thread. Daniel Warren Johnson’s art is still the main draw and helps bring the book’s better aspects to the fore. It remains to be seen if it’ll work out though.