The Bounce #2 Review


The Bounce isn’t Spiderman for the new millennium but something new and different. Joe Casey turns the superhero genre on its head to create a slacker hero, Jasper Jenkins, who is more concerned with scoring drugs than fighting bad guys. The results are fascinating. If you’re sick of the Big Two Superheroes, this comic is for you.

Here’s the official description from Image Comics:

IT’S ON, MUTHAFUGGA! 
The good vibes and good times continue in this full-color superhero mega-epic! The big question is asked: How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of the world outside your window? Only the Fog knows! Also, beginning this issue: the mysterious ORIGIN of the Bounce
!

In this issue Bounce, the feel good superhero, is trapped in a drug-induced world. Casey begins to reveal his origin as a lab experiment gone terribly wrong, and we learn a secret about Zander, which is sure to shake up their relationship.

Between Sex and The Bounce, Joe Casey, is writing two of the best ongoing titles at Image, make that in comics today.  In both cases, Casey updates traditional superhero tropes to make something unique and original for modern times. His imagination is leaps and bounds better than most other comic writers, but he’s also a smart writer with a strong knack for dialogue. The second issue of The Bounce is even better than the first. I thought there was too much crammed into the introductory issue, which made the experience a little overwhelming. Luckily, this is not the case here. The story moves more smoothly in the second issue due to the superb pacing.

Inker and penciler, David Messina and colorist Giovanni Niro work well together, especially in the drug sequence at the beginning of the book. Niro’s bright colors are enticing and slightly reminiscent of Frazier Irving’s style. The bright sequence in the opening contrasts well with the darker second half of this issue. Messina’s line work is highly detailed but not too flashy. Both Messina and Niro have terrific chemistry.

The Bounce is quickly becoming one of my favorite monthly comics due to Casey’s wild, edgy writing and the superb art of Messina and Niro. In the stale, predictable world of the super hero genre, The Bounce is unique, smart, entertaining, and refreshing. Highly recommend.

4.5/5

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