If you read the first issue of Drawing Blood, you saw Shane “Books” Bookman grappling with the runaway success of his co-creation Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls, and learning his mentor Frank Forrest committed suicide (while also leaving behind $2 million in debt to Lithuanian mobsters.) And that’s not even covering the musical he’s thrown his life’s work into. Drawing Blood #2 continues exploring this “downslope” in Books’ life, as he finds himself at the end of a very short rope…while also dealing with a documentary crew filming his every move.
Something I noticed about Drawing Blood is how flawlessly Kevin Eastman and David Avallone handle the transition between scenes. Case in point: a memory of Brooks designing the Ragdolls segues into a production meeting on the film adaptation where he’s a consultant. The same goes for Ben Bishop’s artwork; the very first page starts out with a corner that looks like it was penciled on a sheet of paper, gradually transitioning to more refined look.
The mashup between Bishop and Eastman’s styles also continues, resulting in some delightfully trippy yet introspective moments. Once again the Ronin Ragdolls appear before Books, this time in a sushi restaurant while he pours his heart out. Two of them encourage him to take the fight to the Lithuanians, while the third wants him to reflect on his life. Another scene has an argument between Books and one of his friends/co-collaborators that features a giant head growing out of a phone, but is undercut by Books breaking down sobbing.
It’s those quieter moments that make Drawing Blood #2 worth a read. Books is struggling in more ways than one as he’s dealing with one creative venture getting away from him, one falling to pieces (quite literally – his musical is littered with enough hazards to put Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark to shame), and losing the man who inspired him. Everyone deals with tragedy in their own ways, even if their feelings are depicted in the form of anthropomorphic ninja cats.
Drawing Blood #2 continues a trippy but poignant look into the ups and downs of creative endeavors. It might be drawing attention due to Eastman’s involvement (and rightfully so), but there’s a deeper story going on here and it’s one worth reading.
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