The Twilight Zone #2: Review


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The Twilight Zone has been around long enough that most geeks already know what to expect from any story that falls under its creepy masthead — a morality tale with a bit of horror, and a bit of sci-fi. Well, The Twilight Zone #2 offers both. And does so beautifully.

Here’s the official word from Dynamite:

Wall Street magnate Trevor Richmond has succeeded in finding a way to avoid going to prison for embezzling millions from investors. He has a new life, a new name, a new face and a new past. No one can ever come looking for him. It’s everything he could possibly have asked for. Until he discovers someone who lives in his house, his life, with his name, his lover, and worse still, his own face. A total stranger has stolen everything he is, was, and hoped to be…and he’s not about to let that theft go unanswered, no matter what it may cost him.

One of the things that made the original Twilight Zones so great was it’s uncanny ability to play with the viewer’sScreen shot 2014-02-04 at 4.09.51 PM expectations — an episode would often spend considerable energy setting up an eerie situation that you thought you’d figured out, and then, with a quick pivot, surprise the hell out of you. Writer J. Michael Straczynski has not only learned this trick, but maybe even mastered it. Issue #2 of Twilight Zone is delightful precisely because protagonist Trevor Richmond gets exactly what he wants — and it ruins him. While diehard fans of the Twilight Zone might have half-way expected this pivot, it’s the journey that Straczynski takes Trevor Richmond on that makes this such an enjoyable read.

Guiu Vilanova is clearly a competent artist with a lot of talent, but his style feels a bit too stiff for me. While characters aren’t fluid in the ways I usually like, I have to admit the tone he provides works well for this title. And he’s got an incredible eye for detail (check out his cityscapes).

This Twilight Zone reboot continues to be a blast. And I can’t wait to keep reading.

 5/5

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