It seems like everyone’s out to get Satya Chatterjee in Aftershock’s Bylines In Blood #2. But to stop her from finding out who killed her former mentor, it’ll take more than a few knife stabs, a bodyguard beatdown, and constant political turmoil to stop her.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Bylines In Blood #2!
Bylines in Blood #2 picks up right where the first issue left off, with an attack from an invisible assassin pulling Satya out of her brief moment to grieve. It’s an unfair fight, but one artist Aneke makes so interesting to look at with a sea of lush blues and dynamic movements. A creative nine-panel page where Satya shoots in a circle at her camouflaged opponent rounds out the scene, topped off with Cardinal Rae’s strong lettering creating a circle of sound.
Writers Erica Schultz and Van Jensen continue Bylines In Blood’s unease between the modern-day and a dystopic future when Satya goes to The Gulch, The City’s lower-class hub. Satya’s explanation of its origins and the ongoing protests are pulled straight from today’s headlines, and The Truthers’ 24/7 floating eyeball surveillance tech used there is only a sci-fi design away from joining those headlines. But on a not-so-terrifying note, Tom (Satya’s assistant/friend) is given more definition in Bylines In Blood #2. His scenes provide some cute character information and positions him as a sort of nicer, nurturing foil to Satya’s cold exterior.
Aftershock
Jenn’s base of operations for The Truthers is also revisited and is fleshed out as a sanitized void compared to the rest of the city’s gritty underbelly. Jenn’s aesthetic and demeanor point to a staple villain, so it’s interesting then that Jenn’s words about wanting complete and transparent truth at all times seem so clear, so right. It’s a situation that’s ironically withholding a lot of truth, but seems like it’ll be very engaging when it’s revealed.
Satya then goes from the bottom of The City’s society to the top, attending a lavish gala to gather information on her suspect. The contrast does well to expose the dichotomized world of Bylines In Blood as well as show the ease in which Satya weaves between these two worlds. Aneke shines with her coloring in this issue, using fresh, light tones for the gala to help differentiate from the dryer, gloomier Gulch. Not to mention Satya’s sleek yellow suit that pulls from the highlight of yellow on her sleuthing jacket.
Aftershock
The authoritative Mayor Wilkes makes his first on-page appearance as well, speaking at the gala as a politician bullshitting his way to public favor. He’s what’s expected of this kind of antagonist – a painfully charismatic white man who’s an asshole out of the limelight. At times it feels a bit on the nose, but considering how nuanced and developed the rest of Bylines In Blood’s themes are, I’m inclined to think these aren’t the only faces Mayor Wilkes will show.
Bylines In Blood #2 ends in a parallel with Satya in another unfair fight against Mayor Wilkes’ bodyguards – and it’s a prime depiction of fighting with a mop in comics. Big “SPLASH” text melds with the movement of the mop’s water as Satya resourcefully whacks the two unexpecting men. But, realistically, a mop isn’t a great weapon and Satya doesn’t stand a chance. She’s then seen being kicked by the bodyguards with the same zoom-out sequential paneling seen on a standout page in Bylines In Blood #1, her bright yellow suit reduced to a mere shadow.
But at the end of Bylines In Blood #2, despite it being only the second issue, Satya seems to know the truth about her mentor’s murder. But the truth isn’t always what it seems, and I’m hoping that’s the case for this story because the ever-evolving art and rich worldbuilding make for a comic easy to dive deeper into and never reach the bottom.
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