Imagine if reading minds was an issue the government had to worry about, but also at their disposal? How screwed up would the politics of the world be? Well, we get a taste of that in Brain Boy, complete with telekinetic mind powers too! Is it good?
Brain Boy #2 (Dark Horse Comics)
Brain Boy (otherwise known as Matt Price) works for the government, mostly because they hold information on what happened to his parents. He’s been tasked with protecting an important foreign dignitary who ends up attacking him directly. He’s the ambassador of a foreign South American country who’s been involved in awful things, killing his own people and pillaging their lives. This issue bounces off this element and kicks Brain Boy into espionage, how rival governments have developed anti-mind reading tech and a rather slippery danger for our hero.
Must have been a thin manual.
Writer Fred Van Lente does a bangup job with the breakneck storytelling this issue. Last issue contained a lot of character tinges and takes on the telekinetic, mind reading powers, which made the character all the more unique. This issue only has one or two, which is fine, because it’s the plot that’s in focus here.
It helps that artist R. B. Silva keeps the powers interesting with neat orbs and waves shooting out of Brain Boy. Silva is making me wonder if people who’ve drawn Xavier and Jean Grey were lazy or just bored with the powers. The man can make a power that is very internal interesting to observe externally.
Love these elements.
He’s fleshing out the world in this issue though, to the point where I wonder if this will become an ongoing series. We get introduced to a neat home agency group who test products on themselves, a co-worker of sorts who saves Brain Boy’s ass, and a compelling villain with interesting powers. It all goes a long way to making this world lived in and interesting. While the first issue made Brain Boy interesting and compelling this issue is all about the world, which solidifies the main character’s strengths.
There is the issue of pacing though, as there are points in this issue where things slow down with heavy dialogue and exposition. Obviously a balance can’t always be perfectly struck, but there are pages where it felt like an info dump which killed the breakneck speed of the issue prior. It catches up quickly after these moments though, so not too much harm in them.
High power set plus lack of conscience equals bad guys.
9.0
- Breakneck plot and story
- Mind powers have never looked so good
- Exposition heavy moments kill the pace
Is It Good?
This is an exciting series and it’s too bad it’s only slotted for three issues. There are compelling elements introduced in this issue that beg to be explored if this ever becomes an ongoing series. Once again I’m blown away by how interesting mind powers can look in a comic. Just imaginging these elements introduced in a movie some day make me drool with anticipation.
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