Is It Good? Unity #2 Review

Valiant Entertainment has an event going down in their universe that’s so profound, the opening pages compare it to the events leading into World War I. Them’s some serious comparisons…so, is it good?

Unity #2 (Valiant Entertainment)

Missed our review of Unity #1? Check it out here.

Last issue, X-O Manowar took out Ninjak and basically proved he cannot be stopped. A special ops team was brought in and was quickly disassembled without X-O breaking a sweat. This issue opens with more badassery, as X-O takes out nukes and battleships. Harada and the team he has left must now go after X-O directly as they are the last chance in stopping X-O’s diplomatic takeover of Romania.

Heavy comparisons, no?

I enjoyed the first issue immensely, partly because it balanced exposition and events very well. I was a bit surprised how this issue goes full tilt on the action, save for some introspective narrative to open and close the book, as it changes the flow quite a bit. Of course, event books should be awesome blockbusters, right? Artist Doug Braithwaite delivers with the gore and action, that is for sure. We’re talking swords through heads, heads turning to mush and enormous spaceships smashing down to Earth. There’s also an interesting battle that takes place, I think digitally, that allows Braithwaite to play around with size and scope that’s unrealistic, but very cool.

Said battle is an interesting one and writer Matt Kindt knows taking the battle off the physical plane is may be the only way to stop X-O. There are however some issues I took with the scripting here, particularly the heavy dialogue and bookends concerning tipping points. I’m not sure if there’s an overabundance of panels this issue or if it’s just the heavy use if dialogue, but things seem to slow down in this issue and not in a good way. That might be because the entire issue is really only one battle, but considering all the gore and action I was yawning my way through a few of these pages. The opening didn’t help either, which seems a bit too melodramatic for what follows in the issue. Of course the gravity of the situation is important, but when most of the issue takes place inside a spaceship it’s hard to see how any of this is really history in the making.

Well as long as it’s “mini.”

7.0

• Rather strong art if I do say so myself

• Boring at times and the opening too much

Is It Good?

Two saving graces make this just good enough to pick up. The first is the cool battle X-O has inside some kind of digital realm. The second is the ending, which should make the next issue a hell of a lot of fun. That said, I didn’t think the comparison to the Tea Party and assassinations were used effectively and the pace seemed to slow to crawl at times.