Syd Homes is a man accused of many terrible things, but killing isn’t one of them. The mega powers team of writer Joe Hill and artist Martin Simmonds continue their comedic whodunnit murder mystery in Dying Is Easy #2. Syd looks to clear his name for the untimely death of joke-stealing comedian Carl Dixon. But that may be easier said than done with two police officers hot on his trail, and a confession from one of his friends that ties him to the murder. Luckily for him, he’s an ex-cop, so it’s going to take all his detective wits to find the real culprits behind the crime before he ends up either dead or behind bars.
Dying is Easy #2 is a wildly entertaining issue that hits all the right buttons, keeping it fresh, engaging, funny, and surprising. The first book covered a lot of groundwork establishing Syd’s character backstory as the second sees him more in survival mode. Syd’s climbing barefoot through windows, walking across dangerous ledges, stealing out of pocketbooks…he’s completely desperate. Despite all Syd’s current setbacks, Hill still manages to fit in some precious moments of his sh*t-talk at the most opportune times. For example, in the beginning, the police are banging at his door, he can’t find his shoes and he’s busy calling them assh*les.
Martin Simmonds’ line work continues to be gritty, edgy, and everything that enhances this story to its core. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but there are a lot of panels where Syd is positioned on the left side of the page. This made me think that he’s on the left because he’s not on the right side of the law until he proves his innocence. It could just be a coincidence, but I digress. Aside from that, Simmonds’ transitions from Syd to the other characters in each panel are flawless.
The Verdict
Dying Is Easy #2 is just an all-around great book. The pacing, dialogue, and panel counts are damn near perfect. As for the artwork, everything moves in sync, like a fine-tuned piano. There’s still time to catch up with the series if you haven’t already. Hopefully, Syd manages to clear his name before it’s too late.
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