The prevailing logic is that sequels are routinely bleh, right? That if something hits the first time, everything else (even The Godfather Part II?!) will always pale in comparison. But creators can make decisions to overcome this inherent disconnect, and they’re capable of crafting a follow-up that avoids pitfalls and seizes certain advantages to make a great sequel. (Please see Terminator 2.) Don’t believe me? Ask Gerry Duggan and John McCrea, ’cause they’ve mostly cracked the code.
Because Dead Eyes: The Empty Frames could’ve been an insincere grab for attention. That first Dead Eyes series from 2019/2020 was generally great — a crime story about a retired hood with a heart of gold, coming back to make things right and save his disabled wife. It was a bit of noir that oozed personality and leaned into the Boston canon of ideas/energies to feel fresh and exciting and still familiar (as you want from a good crime comic). Duggan’s character work, married to the gritty but expressive artwork of McCrea, made Dead Eyes a standout of the last several years.
And what makes Dead Eyes: The Empty Frames a success is that it stays as close to the OG as possible. Based on the injuries to Wheels’ face, we’re seemingly days removed from the end of volume one. And, yeah, that ain’t exactly novel but it doesn’t need to be — we need to have that sense that the problems of Martin (Dead Eyes) are still very much real and still being sorted out. That his issues in giving away that money in volume 1 are still ready to bite him in the rear. And that, most of all, he’s still a little dumb with great instincts, and that what connected us to this story is very much raw and interesting as it further develops.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Some sequels try to give space to revisit their leads, and here things follow up in a way to foster our seamless and enthusiastic relationship with this book that’s very much still about how we all might handle getting older, operate in an unfair world, and make our dreams a reality against all of the odds.
But this volume of Dead Eyes is also different in all the right ways. For one, the whole premise — stealing art for more ill-gotten gains — feels like just enough of a tweak. If volume one was about Martin making things right (mostly), then this latest plot also feels more about his personal satisfaction while still being very much about the kind of “hero” Martin is at his core. That this is another level of Martin and his continued development and grappling with the book’s keys themes in a different tone, speed, etc. This direction lets us have our cake and eat it too, if you will, because it uses that immediacy and deliberate tone or pace to forge a path that seems as direct and relatable as much as it also proves even more insane and entertaining.
I don’t want to let the first volume go to become sullied, and this whole storyline makes it feel more like volume 1.5, and that has such a huge impact in how we come to Dead Eyes’ latest caper.
But volume 2 is also different in another major way: the art. More specifically, as he mentioned in our recent chat, McCrea responded to having developed Long COVID by emphasizing a more “sketchy, scribbly [art] style” (alongside a big assist from colorist Mike Spicer).
Courtesy of Image Comics.
And it’s just enough of a “modification” from Dead Eyes‘ first volume to feel continuous even as that sense of intensity and motion do a lot for this volume. If we’re going to have a proper caper, then we really need that added bit of force and a different kind of approach, something to truly capture the desperation and uncertainty of this moment. And while Dead Eyes’ plans haven’t unfolded just yet, we get a kind of “history” of the paintings that offers us a snapshot of what’s to come: the kind of filth and overpowering violence that makes these kinds of stories so dang thrilling and what works to connect Dead Eyes to a solid tradition from which it can still deviate and do something novel.
And we really can’t undervalue Spicer here — as much as McCrea’s lines have this deep, slightly foreboding heft that’s now more energetic and lively, it’s those colors that play with the emotional tone and secure their overall sex appeal and otherwise dynamic tendencies.
But I also think that what makes McCrea a really amazing artist is how he lays out pages, and that’s doubly clear in this latest Dead Eyes. There’s a couple moments, especially in the earlier part of the issue talking about the paintings’ origins, where McCrea’s skill really shines as he’s able to play with time and geography in these designs. Or, that he’s able to approach something as “pedestrian” as a car crash, creating not only a sense of momentum but also further playing with our understanding of these events and even their sense of perspective and gravity. It’s this approach to layouts — in addition to more great character designs, like a “special driving suit” for Martin — that feels quintessential to the kind of humor, structure, edge, and emotionality that McCrea brings. He’s able to maintain that core even as things feel fresh/new, and it’s such a profound part of this book across its various volumes.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Now, while I’ve been rather celebratory of Dead Eyes‘ early efforts in volume 2, I do still have some complaints and minor issues. For one, I’m worried that even with the art museum angle, the second volume may basically be a rehash of the first. Sure, that was heaps of fun, but it wouldn’t honor this story’s trajectory and its goals of being this truly living tale. Similarly, I’m also feeling hesitant about the heist as it’s laid out; part of me wants a big Ocean’s Eleven-esque deal, but I think most of the drama will come after the heist’s already over.
And while that’s all well and good, it would be another way the two volumes may feel too similar. But while those are minor enough, I’m the most worried about what Martin/Dead Eyes might learn (if anything), and how his personal development will be regarded. If it’s just more of a dumb but good guy stumbling forward, it may not be as emotionally resonant.
But all of that’s mostly hypothetical to this point, and as it actually stands, Dead Eyes: The Empty Frames is a deserving second entry. It’s got style and emotionality to spare; there’s enough newness that still honors why we flocked to this story in the first place; and there’s proper evidence that this new plot can be just as entertaining and engaging (even as some real concerns do exist). May this Dead Eyes be more like The Empire Strikes Back and far, far less like Highlander II.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login