Jinnrise #2 Review


Is this outlandish but nonetheless magical clash with aliens still worth your money and time?  Read on to find out.

The official description from IDW:

Saved from interstellar forces, student Andrew Marcus’ fate rests in the hands of boy… a boy in control of a living “myth”: a Jinn (Genie). But has he simply gone from bad to worse? And what of this race from the stars? Their response is none other than their fiercest warrior… the Exile.

When I initially cracked open this series I had absolutely no preconceptions as to what kind of journey I was about to follow.  In short what we have is an out of this world invasion with two interesting wrinkles that easily allow this property to stand out. First off we have the middle eastern locale and secondly we have a Jinn.

Beyond the basics of the premise Sohaib Awan brilliantly works out a compelling narrative that offers insight as our characters carry out an introspection of sorts.  If that sounds boring on any level don’t worry because the pace of this release will keep the audience thoroughly glued from beginning to end. Despite the good qualities in the script there were moments where the dialogue comes off a bit wonky, due to some text that subscribed to an over indulgence of explanation.  But for the majority the author succeeds in striking a balance between what is necessary and what’s not.

The art by Tony Vassallo continues to be chaotic and very fitting to this saga.  He dynamically forms not just the leads  but the environments as well in a way that ebbs and flows with the chaotic nature while building up both form and function. From the first panel to the final page his pencil strokes evoke the right mood but there were a few times where details and faces just seemed to be a tad bit off as quality fluctuated from scene to scene.

Jinnrise #2 is a good comic book that’s sure to surprise people and this second outing does suffer from some superficial damage but it still earns a recommendation.

3.5/5

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