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Haunted City #2
Publisher: Aspen
Writers: Chap Taylor & Peter Johnson
Artist: Michael Ryan
After issue #1, I thought that Detective Whalen was in some trouble, but after this issue, he’ll be in over his head so far he might not have a head soon. Now he’s not only battling Internal Affairs, but also a city that has erupted with crime and complete anarchy. We see cops clashing with crowds bent on violence and destruction. A lot of the fighting is racially motivated, and it seems that below the surface the cops might be harboring a secret. There is a secret meeting set up with Whalen and his buddy who’s also involved in the drug business. To say that the meeting doesn’t go as planned is an understatement, but Whalen uses his craftiness to elude his pursuers long enough to get into his car and drive off before he loses a limb. What will issue #3 bring? I can’t say for sure, but if it brings it like the first two issues have, then I’m reading it!
Taylor and Johnson have a cool story going here. You have a crime story feeling, and also one of mystery, not to mention the fact that kids are being abducted and killed. There is also the element of dark magic (or Hoodoo) that it seems is at the root of all this, as well. We’ve seen a couple of mysterious characters that have yet to be properly introduced, but it actually just adds to the enigmatic nature of this book. I do hope we get more on these two characters next issue, and also learn about how it ties in with the werewolves that popped up in this issue.
I’ll admit right from the start that I would buy this book just from the cover. I’m a sucker for a werewolf book, and this one was good and had all the other elements I talked about earlier, plus the artist, Michael Ryan, not only did a fantastic job on the “A” cover, but also with the interiors. My favorite scene in the book was when two cops confronted about thirty dudes. The double-page spread was awesome that showed the two cops trying to fight off the entire gang. Bullets flying, lead pipes, and baseball bats swinging, you name it, it was there. Really great job on that front. I honestly can’t wait for the next installment of this book because of the mysterious characters, and the awesome werewolves!   Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net