When the prophesied usurper hauls ass across the scorched landscape in Alpha King #2, there are only two important questions for this mini-series co-created with 3 Floyds brewmaster Nick Floyd. Which is thirstier — you or your steel? And is it good?
3 Floyds: Alpha King #2 (Image Comics)
His creation has been decimated! His woman is in peril! But on his revenge quest, don’t call the dude your lord! Kings are meant to be toppled, and the evil “Rice King” is a prime target! Do you think this is enough exclamation points?! Then you don’t understand this book!!!!!!
Is It Good?
Not that there isn’t subtlety in Alpha King #2. It takes the same form as in the debut of this four-issue mini-series, as sly jabs at the biggest beer producers in America. We haven’t officially met the bilious Rice King yet, but as we ride closer to Castle Millcoore, there’s no real doubt to his identity.
If you’re a beer guy, that is. If nothing else, Alpha King #2 is a paragon of consistency, as it plays to the same audience and maintains the same tone as #1. Craft aficionados who sneer at the establishment while blaring Skeletonwitch will continue to be pleased when writer Brian Azzarello speaks of brewing giants “cast[ing] a pallor over the senses,” and they’ll fist pump in pride at exclamations like, “FUCK YOUR KING!” The art of Simon Bisley and Ryan Brown continues to be rock solid as well, as the otherworldly hellscape is lit by fire and machine gun blasts.
Of course that means, in turn, there aren’t a lot of surprises here. What you saw last time is what you get now. That and some gruesome nudity that borders on the uncomfortable, along with one of the most bad-ass pages you’ll see for some time, when 3 Floyds mainstay character Arctic Panzer Wolf blazes onto the scene. And you will believe that a cute kitty named Gumball Head will blow your shit apart.
The titular character himself sums up 3 Floyds beer and the Alpha King comic in particular when he proudly proclaims, “Whatever happens to us … I want it to be intense.” Alpha King #2 is a gluttonous feast for human senses and desires, but it’s a banquet we’ve gorged at once before. If what you’re looking for is MORE MORE MORE, this issue won’t disappoint.
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